ArticleNucleic acids research2020
Understanding the paradoxical mechanical response of in-phase A-tracts at different force regimes.
Article in Nucleic acids research, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed.
- hexABC seeking the physical code of DNA.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Searching for sequence features that control DNA cyclizability.PNAS nexus · 2026Article
- Sequence-Dependent Shape and Stiffness of DNA and RNA Double Helices: Hexanucleotide Scale and Beyond.Journal of chemical information and modeling · 2025Article
- Chromosomal domain formation by archaeal SMC, a roadblock protein, and DNA structure.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The origin of different bending stiffness between double-stranded RNA and DNA revealed by magnetic tweezers and simulations.Nucleic acids research · 2024Article
- Systematic Comparison of Atomistic Force Fields for the Mechanical Properties of Double-Stranded DNA.Journal of chemical theory and computation · 2024Article
- Temperature-dependent elasticity of DNA, RNA, and hybrid double helices.Biophysical journal · 2024Article
- Mechanical codes of chemical-scale specificity in DNA motifs.Chemical science · 2023Article
- The convergent xenogeneic silencer MucR predisposes α-proteobacteria to integrate AT-rich symbiosis genes.Nucleic acids research · 2022Article
- Efficient golden gate assembly of DNA constructs for single molecule force spectroscopy and imaging.Nucleic acids research · 2022Article
- Accurate Sequence-Dependent Coarse-Grained Model for Conformational and Elastic Properties of Double-Stranded DNA.Journal of chemical theory and computation · 2022Article
- Human Virus Genomes Are Enriched in Conserved Adenine/Thymine/Uracil Multiple Tracts That Pause Polymerase Progression.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- DNA sequence-dependent positioning of the linker histone in a nucleosome: A single-pair FRET study.Biophysical journal · 2021Article
- CTP promotes efficient ParB-dependent DNA condensation by facilitating one-dimensional diffusion fromeLife · 2021Article
- AutoSmarTrace: Automated chain tracing and flexibility analysis of biological filaments.Biophysical journal · 2021Article
- Double-stranded RNA bending by AU-tract sequences.Nucleic acids research · 2020Article
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9 authors.
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Abstract
A-tracts are A:T rich DNA sequences that exhibit unique structural and mechanical properties associated with several functions in vivo. The crystallographic structure of A-tracts has been well characterized. However, the mechanical properties of these sequences is controversial and their response to force remains unexplored. Here, we rationalize the mechanical properties of in-phase A-tracts present in the Caenorhabditis elegans genome over a wide range of external forces, using single-molecule experiments and theoretical polymer models. Atomic Force Microscopy imaging shows that A-tracts induce long-range (∼200 nm) bending, which originates from an intrinsically bent structure rather than from larger bending flexibility. These data are well described with a theoretical model based on the worm-like chain model that includes intrinsic bending. Magnetic tweezers experiments show that the mechanical response of A-tracts and arbitrary DNA sequences have a similar dependence with monovalent salt supporting that the observed A-tract bend is intrinsic to the sequence. Optical tweezers experiments reveal a high stretch modulus of the A-tract sequences in the enthalpic regime. Our work rationalizes the complex multiscale flexibility of A-tracts, providing a physical basis for the versatile character of these sequences inside the cell.
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