ArticleNucleic acids research2010
Torsional sensing of small-molecule binding using magnetic tweezers.
Article in Nucleic acids research, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 109 citations in OpenAlex.
- MACRO-MOLECULAR CROWDING FAVORS WRITHE IN UNWOUND DNA.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- TAV2b Peptide Derivatives Underwind and Stabilize Double-Stranded RNA upon Binding.Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2026Article
- DNA twist at high alkali ion concentrations: evidence against C-form DNA in solution.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- The effects of DMSO on DNA conformations and mechanics.Biophysical journal · 2025Article
- Measuring molecular forces inside living cells using magnetic tweezers.Biophysical reviews · 2025Review
- Stacking correlation length in single-stranded DNA.Nucleic acids research · 2024Article
- Force-enhanced sensitive and specific detection of DNA-intercalative agents directly from microorganisms at single-molecule level.Nucleic acids research · 2024Article
- Acousto-dielectric tweezers enable independent manipulation of multiple particles.Science advances · 2024Article
- Niacinamide Antimicrobial Efficacy and Its Mode of Action via Microbial Cell Cycle Arrest.Microorganisms · 2024Article
- Predicting the effect of binding molecules on the shape and mechanical properties of structured DNA assemblies.Nature communications · 2024Article
- Supercoiling-dependent DNA binding: quantitative modeling and applications to bulk and single-molecule experiments.Nucleic acids research · 2024Article
- Modulating the chemo-mechanical response of structured DNA assemblies through binding molecules.Nucleic acids research · 2021Article
- Negative DNA supercoiling makes protein-mediated looping deterministic and ergodic within the bacterial doubling time.Nucleic acids research · 2021Article
- Nanomechanics of negatively supercoiled diaminopurine-substituted DNA.Nucleic acids research · 2021Article
- Force spectroscopy with electromagnetic tweezers.Journal of applied physics · 2021Article
- Programming ultrasensitive threshold response through chemomechanical instability.Nature communications · 2021Article
- Molecular structure, DNA binding mode, photophysical properties and recommendations for use of SYBR Gold.Nucleic acids research · 2021Article
- Mechanical and structural properties of archaeal hypernucleosomes.Nucleic acids research · 2021Article
- Nanomechanics of G-quadruplexes within the promoter of the KIT oncogene.Nucleic acids research · 2021Article
- Magnetic Tweezers-Based Single-Molecule Assays to Study Interaction of E. coli SSB with DNA and RecQ Helicase.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
DNA-binding small molecules are widespread in the cell and heavily used in biological applications. Here, we use magnetic tweezers, which control the force and torque applied to single DNAs, to study three small molecules: ethidium bromide (EtBr), a well-known intercalator; netropsin, a minor-groove binding anti-microbial drug; and topotecan, a clinically used anti-tumor drug. In the low-force limit in which biologically relevant torques can be accessed (<10 pN), we show that ethidium intercalation lengthens DNA ∼1.5-fold and decreases the persistence length, from which we extract binding constants. Using our control of supercoiling, we measure the decrease in DNA twist per intercalation to be 27.3±1° and demonstrate that ethidium binding delays the accumulation of torsional stress in DNA, likely via direct reduction of the torsional modulus and torque-dependent binding. Furthermore, we observe that EtBr stabilizes the DNA duplex in regimes where bare DNA undergoes structural transitions. In contrast, minor groove binding by netropsin affects neither the contour nor persistence length significantly, yet increases the twist per base of DNA. Finally, we show that topotecan binding has consequences similar to those of EtBr, providing evidence for an intercalative binding mode. These insights into the torsional consequences of ligand binding can help elucidate the effects of small-molecule drugs in the cellular environment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.