Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Overview of DNA Repair

Overview of DNA Repair

In order to be passed through generations, genomic DNA must be undamaged and error-free. However, every day, DNA in a cell undergoes several thousand to a million damaging events by natural causes and external factors. Ionizing radiation such as UV rays, free radicals produced during cellular respiration, and hydrolytic damage from metabolic reactions can alter the structure of DNA. Damages caused include single-base alteration, base dimerization, chain breaks, and cross-linkage.
Chemically...

DNA Helicases

DNA Helicases

DNA unwinding helicase enzymes are a type of motor protein. Motor proteins can translocate along filaments or polymers using energy generated from ATP hydrolysis. Helicases are involved in all the important cellular processes where DNA unwinding is required, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. They are present in all living organisms, but vary in their structure, function, and mechanism of action. For example, in prokaryotes, DnaB helicase binds and translocates...

DNA as a Genetic Template

DNA as a Genetic Template

Two structural features of the DNA molecule provide a basis for the mechanisms of heredity: the four nucleotide bases and its double-stranded nature. The Watson-Crick model of double-helical DNA structure, proposed in 1952, drew heavily upon the X-ray crystallography work of researchers Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. Watson, Crick, and Wilkins jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their work in 1962. Franklin was, controversially, excluded from the prize for...

DNA Topoisomerases

DNA Topoisomerases

Topoisomerases are enzymes that relax overwound DNA molecules during various cell processes, including DNA replication and transcription. These enzymes regulate positive and negative DNA supercoiling without changing the nucleotide sequence. DNA overwinding in a clockwise direction results in positively supercoiled DNA, whereas underwinding in a counterclockwise direction produces negatively supercoiled DNA.
Types and Mechanism of action
Topoisomerases are divided into two main types. ...

The DNA Replication Fork

The DNA Replication Fork

An organism’s genome needs to be duplicated in an efficient and error-free manner for its growth and survival. The replication fork is a Y-shaped active region where two strands of DNA are separated and replicated continuously. The coupling of DNA unzipping and complementary strand synthesis is a characteristic feature of a replication fork. Organisms with small circular DNA, such as E. coli, often have a single origin of replication; therefore, they have only two replication...

The DNA Helix

The DNA Helix

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A CDK1 phospho-switch reprograms TRAIP to unload replisomes in mitosis.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Cellular replisomes are powered by flex-fuel motors for unwinding DNA.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

A modular framework for automated segmentation and analysis of AFM imaging of chromatin organization.

Nucleic acids research·2026

Same author

smDeepFLUOR: single-molecule deep learning fluorescence classification.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Multivalent Display of Antimicrobial Peptides on Plant Virus Scaffolds Enhances Killing of Drug-Resistant Bacteria.

ACS nano·2026

Same author

Dissecting the role of PCNA and Pif1 in replication of individual DNA molecules by DNA polymerase δ.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Customized Light-Sheet Imaging for Investigating Myocardial Structures in Rodent Hearts

Author Spotlight: Customized Light-Sheet Imaging for Investigating Myocardial Structures in Rodent Hearts

Published on: March 29, 2024

DNA skybridge: 3D structure producing a light sheet for high-throughput single-molecule imaging.

Daehyung Kim¹, Fahad Rashid², Yeonmo Cho¹

¹Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang 37673, Korea.

Nucleic Acids Research

|July 25, 2019

Summary

Researchers developed a novel

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: High-Resolution 4D Light-Sheet Imaging and Virtual Reality in Zebrafish for Single-Cell Analysis of Heart Function

Author Spotlight: High-Resolution 4D Light-Sheet Imaging and Virtual Reality in Zebrafish for Single-Cell Analysis of Heart Function

Published on: January 5, 2024

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: September 28, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Customized Light-Sheet Imaging for Investigating Myocardial Structures in Rodent Hearts

Author Spotlight: Customized Light-Sheet Imaging for Investigating Myocardial Structures in Rodent Hearts

Published on: March 29, 2024

Author Spotlight: High-Resolution 4D Light-Sheet Imaging and Virtual Reality in Zebrafish for Single-Cell Analysis of Heart Function

Author Spotlight: High-Resolution 4D Light-Sheet Imaging and Virtual Reality in Zebrafish for Single-Cell Analysis of Heart Function

Published on: January 5, 2024

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Imaging the Aging Cochlea with Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: September 28, 2022

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Molecular Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Characterizing nucleic acid binding proteins requires real-time visualization of single molecules on nucleic acid substrates.
Existing methods face challenges with surface interference and background noise.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a novel, high-throughput single-molecule optical imaging platform for studying protein-nucleic acid interactions.
To overcome surface-condition dependency and background signal interference in molecular imaging.

Main Methods:

Developed a 3D structure called 'DNA skybridge' using quartz barriers to immobilize DNA.
Utilized a 3D structure to move the imaging plane out-of-focus from the bottom surface.
Generated a Gaussian light sheet beam parallel to the immobilized DNA for targeted illumination.

Main Results:

The DNA skybridge platform enables surface-condition independent imaging.
Achieved high-throughput visualization of single probe-tagged molecules moving on DNA.
Effectively suppressed surface and background signals, enhancing image clarity.

Conclusions:

The DNA skybridge platform offers a robust solution for single-molecule imaging of nucleic acid binding proteins.
This technology advances the characterization of molecular interactions on DNA with improved signal-to-noise ratio.