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Updated: Jan 24, 2026
Single-Molecule Diffusion and Assembly on Polymer-Crowded Lipid Membranes
Published on: July 19, 2022
Single-molecule visualization of the effects of ionic strength and crowding on structure-mediated interactions in
Shane Scott1, Cynthia Shaheen1, Brendon McGuinness1
1Department of Physics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 2T8.
Abstract:
DNA unwinding is an important cellular process involved in DNA replication, transcription and repair. In cells, molecular crowding caused by the presence of organelles, proteins, and other molecules affects numerous internal cellular structures. Here, we visualize plasmid DNA unwinding and binding dynamics to an oligonucleotide probe as functions of ionic strength, crowding agent concentration, and crowding agent species using single-molecule CLiC microscopy. We demonstrate increased probe-plasmid interaction over time with increasing concentration of 8 kDa polyethylene glycol (PEG), a crowding agent. We show decreased probe-plasmid interactions as ionic strength is increased without crowding. However, when crowding is introduced via 10% 8 kDa PEG, interactions between plasmids and oligos are enhanced. This is beyond what is expected for normal in vitro conditions, and may be a critically important, but as of yet unknown, factor in DNA's proper biological function in vivo. Our results show that crowding has a strong effect on the initial concentration of unwound plasmids. In the dilute conditions used in these experiments, crowding does not impact probe-plasmid interactions once the site is unwound.
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