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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Studying DNA Looping by Single-Molecule FRET
Published on: June 28, 2014
Confined dynamics of a single DNA molecule
1Dipartimento di Scienze Biochimiche A. Rossi Fanelli, Sapienza Università di Roma, Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5, 00185 Roma, Italy.
Abstract:
The effect of a slit-like confinement on the relaxation dynamics of DNA is studied via a mesoscale model in which a bead and spring model for the polymer is coupled to a particle-based Navier-Stokes solver (multi-particle collision dynamics). The confinement is found to affect the equilibrium stretch of the chain when the bulk gyration radius is comparable to or smaller than the channel height and our data are in agreement with the (R(g,bulk)/h)(1/4) scaling of the polymer extension in the wall tangential direction. Relaxation simulation at different confinements indicates that, while the overall behaviour of the relaxation dynamics is similar for low and strong confinements, a small, but significant, slowing of the far-equilibrium relaxation is found as the confinement increases.
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