Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2026

Single-Molecule Real-Time Visualization of DNA Unwinding by CMG Helicase
Published on: September 27, 2024
Picometer-scale dynamical x-ray imaging of single DNA molecules
Y C Sasaki1, Y Okumura, S Adachi
1Biomedical Group, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, SPring-8, Mikazuki, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan. ycsasaki@spring8.or.jp
Abstract:
Time-resolved dynamical x-ray imaging of individual DNA molecules with picometer-scale precision is demonstrated for the first time. Diffracted x-ray tracking (DXT), a single-molecule experiment with x rays, monitors the rotating motions, rather than the translational motions, of a labeled nanocrystal. DXT can obtain information about the dynamics of single molecules through a quantitative analysis, since the signals from DXT are independent of the chemical conditions.

