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Updated: Sep 25, 2025

Real-time Observation of the DNA Strand Exchange Reaction Mediated by Rad51
Published on: February 13, 2019
How fluorescent labels affect the kinetics of the toehold-mediated DNA strand displacement reaction
Chengxu Li1, Zhigang Li1, Wenjie Han1
1Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. China. xiaosy@ustc.edu.cn.
Abstract:
End modification of the toehold domain or near to it using fluorophore dyes or quenchers can significantly modulate the kinetics of the toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction (TMSDR) by almost two orders of magnitude. The labels at the end of the signal strand impede the TMSDR, while those at the end of the toehold domain of the substrate strand accelerate the TMSDR kinetics.
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