Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

6.5K
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
6.5K
DNA-only Transposons02:57

DNA-only Transposons

17.0K
DNA-only transposons are called autonomous transposons since they code for the enzyme transposase that is required for the transposition mechanism. Insertion of transposons can alter gene functions in multiple ways. They can mutate the gene, alter gene expression by introducing a novel promoter or insulator sequence, introduce new splice sites, and change the mRNA transcripts produced, or remodel chromatin structure.
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...
17.0K
Combinatorial Gene Control02:33

Combinatorial Gene Control

9.4K
Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
9.4K
Overview of Transposition and Recombination02:13

Overview of Transposition and Recombination

18.6K
Transposons make up a significant part of genomes of various organisms. Therefore, it is believed that transposition played a major evolutionary role in speciation by changing genome sizes and modifying gene expression patterns. For example, in bacteria, transposition can lead to conferring antibiotic resistance. Movement of transposable elements within the genetic pool of pathogenic bacteria can aid in transfer of antibiotic-resistant genetic elements. In eukaryotes, transposons can carry out...
18.6K
Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

6.9K
In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
6.9K
Cooperative Binding of Transcription Regulators02:13

Cooperative Binding of Transcription Regulators

7.1K
Transcriptional regulators bind to specific cis-regulatory sequences in the DNA to regulate gene transcription. These cis-regulatory sequences are very short, usually less than ten nucleotide pairs in length. The short length means that there is a high probability of the exact same sequence randomly occurring throughout the genome.  Since regulators can also bind to groups of similar sequences, this further increases the chances of random binding. Transcriptional regulators form...
7.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Innate Immunity of Framework Nucleic Acids.

Accounts of chemical research·2026
Same author

A multiple-encrypted DNA device for secure communication.

Science advances·2026
Same author

Programming Dimensional Transitions in DNA Brick Crystals via Interfacial Connectivity.

Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English)·2026
Same author

Structure-Controlled Molecular Recognition and Charge Transport in Metallized DNA Nanosheets.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026
Same author

Author Correction: Atomically precise photothermal nanomachines.

Nature materials·2026
Same author

L-DNA-Based Framework Nucleic Acid Nanodevice for Lysosomal ATP Imaging.

Analytical chemistry·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 20, 2025

DNA-Tethered RNA Polymerase for Programmable In vitro Transcription and Molecular Computation
09:26

DNA-Tethered RNA Polymerase for Programmable In vitro Transcription and Molecular Computation

Published on: December 29, 2021

4.7K

Programming Switchable Transcription of Topologically Constrained DNA.

Kai Jiao1, Bing Zhu1, Linjie Guo1

  • 1Division of Physical Biology, CAS Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China.

Journal of the American Chemical Society
|May 27, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers created topologically ordered DNA (TO-DNA) nanostructures for controlled gene transcription. This DNA engineering enables switchable gene expression in bacteria for applications like cell imaging.

More Related Videos

An Efficient Strategy for Generating Tissue-specific Binary Transcription Systems in Drosophila by Genome Editing
10:01

An Efficient Strategy for Generating Tissue-specific Binary Transcription Systems in Drosophila by Genome Editing

Published on: September 19, 2018

9.4K
An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness
06:21

An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness

Published on: May 7, 2018

6.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Dec 20, 2025

DNA-Tethered RNA Polymerase for Programmable In vitro Transcription and Molecular Computation
09:26

DNA-Tethered RNA Polymerase for Programmable In vitro Transcription and Molecular Computation

Published on: December 29, 2021

4.7K
An Efficient Strategy for Generating Tissue-specific Binary Transcription Systems in Drosophila by Genome Editing
10:01

An Efficient Strategy for Generating Tissue-specific Binary Transcription Systems in Drosophila by Genome Editing

Published on: September 19, 2018

9.4K
An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness
06:21

An Ecdysone Receptor-based Singular Gene Switch for Deliberate Expression of Transgene with Robustness, Reversibility, and Negligible Leakiness

Published on: May 7, 2018

6.8K

Area of Science:

  • Synthetic Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • DNA topology and chromatin condensation regulate gene expression in cells.
  • Controlling DNA topology for in vitro transcription and gene transfection remains challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To construct topologically ordered DNA (TO-DNA) nanostructures for controlled gene expression.
  • To investigate the impact of DNA topology and promoter configuration on transcription activity.
  • To develop switchable transcription systems for genetic engineering and synthetic biology applications.

Main Methods:

  • DNA self-assembly was used to create linear DNA templates with T7 promoter sequences.
  • The transcription activity of TO-DNA was analyzed based on promoter position and integrity.
  • Boolean logic-based transcriptional control was achieved using DNA key strands.
  • Bioorthogonal switchable transcription was implemented with multiple genes in TO-DNA.
  • TO-DNA was applied in living bacteria for switchable transcription of fluorescent RNA aptamers.

Main Results:

  • TO-DNA structures maintain transcription activity, which is sensitive to T7 promoter configuration.
  • Specific positioning and intactness of the T7 promoter allow dynamic, Boolean logic-controlled transcription activation/repression.
  • Multiple genes can be inserted into TO-DNA for bioorthogonal switchable transcription.
  • Implementation in bacteria resulted in switchable transcription of fluorescent RNA aptamers for cell imaging.

Conclusions:

  • Topologically ordered DNA nanostructures offer a novel platform for shape-dependent gene delivery and controlled gene expression.
  • This approach enhances genetic engineering and synthetic biology toolboxes by enabling precise control over transcription.
  • Switchable transcription using TO-DNA has potential applications in live-cell imaging and other biotechnological fields.