Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026

Analyzing and Building Nucleic Acid Structures with 3DNA
Published on: April 26, 2013
Orientational correlations in confined DNA
E Werner1, F Persson, F Westerlund
1Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Abstract:
We study how the orientational correlations of DNA confined to nanochannels depend on the channel diameter D by means of Monte Carlo simulations and a mean-field theory. This theory describes DNA conformations in the experimentally relevant regime where the Flory-de Gennes theory does not apply. We show how local correlations determine the dependence of the end-to-end distance of the DNA molecule upon D. Tapered nanochannels provide the necessary resolution in D to study experimentally how the extension of confined DNA molecules depends upon D. Our experimental and theoretical results are in qualitative agreement.
Related Concept Videos
DNA Topoisomerases
Types and Mechanism of action
Topoisomerases are divided into two main types. Type I...
The Nucleosome
In a chromosome, DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called a histone octamer core, which consists of 8 histone proteins. This...
The Nucleosome
DNA is wound twice around a protein complex called histone core, that consist of 8 histone proteins. This complex...
Nucleic Acid Structure
DNA Structure
DNA has a double-helix structure. The...
Single-Strand DNA Binding Proteins
Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...

