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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Stretching Short Sequences of DNA with Constant Force Axial Optical Tweezers
Published on: October 13, 2011
Single-pair FRET characterization of DNA tweezers
Barbara K Müller1, Andreas Reuter, Friedrich C Simmel
1Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Center for Nanoscience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 11, Haus E, D-81377 Munich, Germany.
Abstract:
The self-assembly properties of DNA make it an ideal choice for the construction of nanomachines such as DNA tweezers. Because nanomachines function as individual units, they need to be studied on the single-molecule level. From single-pair FRET investigations, we show that "open" tweezers exist in a single conformation with minimal FRET efficiency, whereas upon addition of a "closing strand", three conformations are observed, which are averaged out in ensemble measurements.
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