Probing DNA and RNA single molecules with a double optical tweezer

A double-tweezer setup is used to induce mechanical stress in systems of molecular biology. A double strand of DNA is first stretched and the data is compared to precedent experiments to check the experimental setup. Then a short foldable fragment of RNA is probed; the typical unfolding/refolding hysteresis behaviour of this kind of construction is shown and followed by a study of its elasticity and a comparison to a worm-like chain model. Eventually, we describe the unfolding of a larger RNA structure, which unfolds by multiple steps. We show that this unfolding is not reversible and that it presents numerous unfolding pathways.