Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Stretching Short Sequences of DNA with Constant Force Axial Optical Tweezers
Published on: October 13, 2011
Long-range charge transfer in DNA: transient structural distortions control the distance dependence
1School of Chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA.
Abstract:
Damage to DNA is often caused by oxidative reactions. In one such process, an electron is lost from a base, forming its radical cation. Further reaction of the radical cation can lead to permanent change, which results in mutation. This Account is a report on oxidative damage to DNA caused by irradiation of anthraquinone derivatives, which are either randomly bound to the DNA or attached to it covalently at specific locations. Radical cations introduced in the DNA by the excited quinone cause damage both near to it and far away. We describe a mechanism for long-range charge transport in DNA that depends on its spontaneous structural distortion, which we call phonon-assisted polaron hopping. This mechanism, and its extension, provides a framework for understanding the reactions and charge-transport properties of DNA.
Related Concept Videos
DNA as a Genetic Template
Nucleosome Remodeling
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...
Chromatin Packaging
The chromatin
In combination with specialized DNA binding protein called Histones, the DNA double helix forms a compact DNA: protein complex called chromatin. The chromatin itself is further compacted into higher-order structures.
The DNA Helix
The Nucleosome
In a chromosome, DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called a histone octamer core, which consists of 8 histone proteins. This...
Chromatin Packaging

