Nature Communications (Feb 2021)

Base-pair resolution analysis of the effect of supercoiling on DNA flexibility and major groove recognition by triplex-forming oligonucleotides

  • Alice L. B. Pyne,
  • Agnes Noy,
  • Kavit H. S. Main,
  • Victor Velasco-Berrelleza,
  • Michael M. Piperakis,
  • Lesley A. Mitchenall,
  • Fiorella M. Cugliandolo,
  • Joseph G. Beton,
  • Clare E. M. Stevenson,
  • Bart W. Hoogenboom,
  • Andrew D. Bates,
  • Anthony Maxwell,
  • Sarah A. Harris

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21243-y
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 12

Abstract

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In cells, DNA is arranged into topologically-constrained (supercoiled) structures, but how this supercoiling affects the detailed double-helical structure of DNA remains unclear. Here authors use atomic force microscopy and atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, to resolve structures of negatively-supercoiled DNA minicircles at base-pair resolution.