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Updated: Mar 18, 2026
High-Speed Magnetic Tweezers for Nanomechanical Measurements on Force-Sensitive Elements
Published on: May 12, 2023
Single molecule studies of helicases with magnetic tweezers
Samar Hodeib1, Saurabh Raj1, M Manosas2
1Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, École Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, Université Paris Diderot Sorbonne Paris-Cité, Sorbonne Universités UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS, 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France; Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, F-75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Helicases are a broad family of enzymes that perform crucial functions in DNA replication and in the maintenance of DNA and RNA integrity. A detailed mechanical study of helicases on DNA and RNA is possible using single molecule manipulation methods. Among those, magnetic tweezers (or traps) present a convenient, moderate throughput assay (tens of enzymes can be monitored simultaneously) that allow for high resolution (single base-pair) studies of these enzymes in various conditions and on various substrates (double and single stranded DNA and RNA). Here we discuss various implementation of the basic assay relevant for these studies.
