Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

<i>mcstas_gisans</i>: combining ray tracing with the distorted-wave Born approximation using <i>McStas</i> and <i>BornAgain</i> for virtual GISANS experiments.

Journal of applied crystallography·2026
Same author

Recent progress in grazing incidence small-angle neutron scattering.

Advances in colloid and interface science·2025
Same author

Decoding Wetting Behavior: Capillary Rise Experiments with Amphiphilic Compounds and Theoretical Aspects.

Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids·2025
Same author

Following the structural changes of triolein films during lipolysis.

Soft matter·2025
Same author

Structure and morphology of vesicular dispersions based on novel glycophospholipids with various monosaccharide head groups.

Journal of colloid and interface science·2025
Same author

Particle formation during peristaltic pumping of therapeutic proteins: Hofmeister anions effect.

Journal of pharmaceutical sciences·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Dendrimer-based Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
11:27

Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Dendrimer-based Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: December 4, 2016

Analytical model study of dendrimer/DNA complexes.

Khawla Qamhieh1, Tommy Nylander, Marie-Louise Ainalem

  • 1Physical Chemistry, Center for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. khawlaq@gmail.com

Biomacromolecules
|May 15, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Positively charged poly(amido amine) dendrimers interact with DNA. The study shows dendrimer size significantly impacts DNA wrapping, with smaller dendrimers reducing DNA length dependence for optimal wrapping and binding.

More Related Videos

Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA
16:24

Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA

Published on: April 26, 2013

Synthesis, Cellular Delivery and In vivo Application of Dendrimer-based pH Sensors
16:19

Synthesis, Cellular Delivery and In vivo Application of Dendrimer-based pH Sensors

Published on: September 10, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Dendrimer-based Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
11:27

Preparation and In Vitro Characterization of Dendrimer-based Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Published on: December 4, 2016

Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA
16:24

Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA

Published on: April 26, 2013

Synthesis, Cellular Delivery and In vivo Application of Dendrimer-based pH Sensors
16:19

Synthesis, Cellular Delivery and In vivo Application of Dendrimer-based pH Sensors

Published on: September 10, 2013

Area of Science:

  • Polymer Science
  • Biophysics
  • Computational Chemistry

Background:

  • Poly(amido amine) (PAMAM) dendrimers are widely used in biomedical applications.
  • Understanding dendrimer-DNA interactions is crucial for gene delivery and nanotechnology.
  • Previous models treated dendrimers as hard spheres, neglecting their deformability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between generation 4 PAMAM dendrimers and DNA of varying lengths.
  • To model dendrimer-DNA complexation using a modified theoretical framework accounting for soft sphere dendrimers.
  • To determine the influence of dendrimer deformability on DNA wrapping and binding efficiency.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a modified theoretical model based on Schiessel's work for semiflexible polyelectrolytes and spheres.
  • Adapted the model to treat dendrimers as soft spheres, allowing for radius changes upon DNA interaction.
  • Simulated interactions for two DNA lengths: 2000 bp (680 nm) and 4331 bp (1472.5 nm).

Main Results:

  • Optimal DNA wrapping length (l(opt)) decreased significantly when dendrimers were modeled as soft spheres (0.9 nm radius) compared to hard spheres (2.25 nm radius).
  • For soft spheres, l(opt) became independent of DNA length, suggesting a universal wrapping mechanism.
  • Maximum dendrimer binding per DNA (N(max)) showed good agreement with experimental values for longer DNA when considering charge neutralization, but discrepancies for shorter DNA.

Conclusions:

  • Dendrimer deformability plays a critical role in modulating DNA wrapping and binding characteristics.
  • The soft sphere model provides a more accurate representation of dendrimer-DNA interactions, especially regarding length dependence.
  • Further refinement of models is needed to fully capture experimental observations for all DNA lengths and dendrimer concentrations.