Intrachain Dynamics of Large dsDNA Confined to Slitlike Channels

Jeremy J. Jones, Johan R. C. van der Maarel, and Patrick S. Doyle

Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 068101 – Published 8 February 2013

Abstract

Exploration of intrachain hydrodynamics of dsDNA within channels has been limited to indirect analysis of global coil dynamics. In this Letter, we isolate hydrodynamic interactions within single molecules of dsDNA confined to slitlike channels by making use of density covariance measurements. We show that the strength of hydrodynamic interactions in DNA is dependent on the intrachain correlation length and that screening by symmetry in slitlike confinement results in a screening length that is proportional channel height. Moreover, we directly show the partial draining nature of the blobs formed by dsDNA in slits and predict under what conditions a dsDNA blob should obey nondraining Zimm behavior.

Received 30 August 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.068101

Authors & Affiliations

Jeremy J. Jones¹, Johan R. C. van der Maarel^2,3, and Patrick S. Doyle^1,2,*

¹Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
²BioSystems and Micromechanics (BioSyM) IRG, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, Singapore 117542, Singapore
³Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore