2019/10/20 by Devynn M. Wulstein, Wulstein, Devynn M., Kathryn Regan +7 · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Bacteriophages and microbial interactions #DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry #Diffusion and Search Dynamics #FOS: Physical sciences #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1910.09133
openalex publication_date 2019/10/20 · openalex created_date 2022/09/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Cytoskeletal crowding plays a key role in the diffusion of DNA molecules\nthrough the cell, acting as a barrier to effective intracellular transport and\nconformational stability required for such processes as transfection, viral\ninfection, and gene therapy. Here we elucidate the transport properties and\nconformational dynamics of linear and ring DNA molecules diffusing through\nentangled and crosslinked composite networks of actin and microtubules. We\ncouple single-molecule conformational tracking with differential dynamic\nmicroscopy to reveal that ring and linear DNA exhibit surprisingly distinct\ntransport properties that are influenced differently by cytoskeleton\ncrosslinking. Ring DNA coils are swollen and undergo heterogeneous and biphasic\nsubdiffusion that is hindered by crosslinking. Conversely, crosslinking\nactually facilitates the single-mode subdiffusion that compacted linear chains\nexhibit. Our collective results demonstrate that transient threading by\ncytoskeleton filaments plays a key role in the dynamics of ring DNA, whereas\nthe mobility of the cytoskeleton dictates transport of linear DNA.\n