A novel high-throughput single-molecule technique DNA curtain: Applications for DNA metabolism

The advancement of single-molecule imaging techniques has significantly enhanced our understanding of biomolecular reactions and cellular processes that remain obscured in ensemble measurements. In particular, DNA curtains are high-throughput hybrid methods integrating total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, lipid fluidity, microfluidics, and nano-fabrication, enabling the direct visualization of protein-DNA interactions in real time. The techniques have emerged as powerful tools for probing molecular dynamics of diverse DNA metabolic processes, including DNA damage repair and chromatin dynamics. This review not only highlights recent applications of DNA curtain techniques for elucidating mechanisms underlying DNA damage repair and chromatin dynamics, but also shows how DNA curtain techniques have provided novel insights into the interplay between DNA metabolic processes in the chromatin context.