Abstract
A novel DNA molecule stretching technique is developed and tested herein. Through a heated converging-diverging microchannel, thermal convection and thermophoresis induced by regional heating are shown to significantly elongate single DNA molecules; they are visualized via a confocal laser scanning microscopy. In addition, electrophoretic stretching is also implemented to examine the hybrid effect on the conformation and dynamics of single DNA molecules. The physical properties of the DNA molecules are secured via experimental measurements.
Highlights
The past two decades has witnessed a tremendous growth in knowledge regarding the mechanical properties of DNA and its polymeric behavior
The differences of about one order of magnitude were due to the former being electrokinetic driven, while the latter was pressure driven. The former was for DNA molecules along the downstream velocity, while the latter was for the electroosmotic flow (EOF) velocity of the buffer solutions
DNA molecule dynamics in gradual/sudden convergingdiverging heated microchannels were extensively examined via confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) visualization and micro-particle image velocimetry (μPIV) velocity measurements of Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests
Summary
The past two decades has witnessed a tremendous growth in knowledge regarding the mechanical properties of DNA and its polymeric behavior. Developments in molecular biology and micro- or nanotechnology have increased the interest of scientists and engineers in the mechanical manipulation of single DNA molecules. The ability to directly manipulate and visualize single DNA molecules has led to a number of advances in our current understanding of the physical and biological properties of DNA. Two general approaches to DNA stretching are in common use: DNA is stretched in a solution as it flows through a microchannel or it is stretched on a solid surface. Both approaches have their own advantages/disadvantages which depend on the particular application. For the former, with fluorescently labeled DNA molecules, it is possible to visualize the change in the conformation of a single DNA molecule under an optical microscope [2,3]
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