Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Single-Molecule Fluorescence Visualization of DNA Polymerase Dynamics at G-Quadruplexes
Published on: April 4, 2025
Intrinsic dynamics of DNA-polymer complexes: a mechanism for DNA release
Lisa E Prevette1, Evgenia N Nikolova, Hashim M Al-Hashimi
1Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, 911 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.
Abstract:
The transfer of genetic material into cells using nonviral vectors offers unique potential for therapeutics; however, the efficacy of delivery depends upon a poorly understood, multistep pathway, limiting the prospects for successful gene delivery. Mechanistic insight into DNA association and release has been hampered by a lack of atomic resolution structural and dynamic information for DNA-polymer complexes (polyplexes). Here, we report a dendrimer-based polyplex system containing poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) arms that is suitable for atomic-level characterization by solution NMR spectroscopy. NMR chemical shift, line width, and proton transverse relaxation rate measurements reveal that free and dendrimer-bound polyplex DNA exchange rapidly relative to the NMR time scale (
Related Concept Videos
DNA Topoisomerases
Types and Mechanism of action
Topoisomerases are divided into two main types. Type I...
The Replisome
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
The Replisome
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
Restarting Stalled Replication Forks
DNA Helicases
Lagging Strand Synthesis
There are several major differences between synthesis of the leading strand and synthesis of the lagging strand. 1) Leading strand synthesis happens in the direction of replication fork opening, whereas lagging strand synthesis happens in the...

