A biomechanical mechanism for initiating DNA packaging.

ABSTRACT: The bacterial chromosome is under varying levels of mechanical stress due to a high degree of crowding and dynamic protein-DNA interactions experienced within the nucleoid. DNA tension is difficult to measure in cells and its functional significance remains unclear although in vitro experiments have implicated a range of biomechanical phenomena. Using single-molecule tools, we have uncovered a novel protein-DNA interaction that responds to fluctuations in mechanical tension by condensing DNA. We combined tethered particle motion (TPM) and optical tweezers experiments to probe the effects of tension on DNA in the presence of the Hha/H-NS complex. The nucleoid structuring protein H-NS is a key regulator of DNA condensation and gene expression in enterobacteria and its activity in vivo is aff

SUBMITTER: Wang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4231757 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature