No abstract

No abstract

A fluorescence microscopy technique has been developed to visualize the behavior of individual DNA and protein molecules. Real-time direct observation of a single DNA molecule can be used to investigate the dynamics of DNA-protein interactions, such as the DNA digestion reaction by lambda exonuclease. In conventional methods it is impossible to analyze the dynamics of an individual lambda exonuclease molecule on a DNA because they can only observe the average behavior of a number of exonuclease molecules. Observation of a single molecule, on the other hand, can reveal processivity and binding rate of an individual exonuclease molecule. To evaluate the dynamics of lambda exonuclease, a stained lambda DNA molecule with one biotinylated terminal was fixed on an avidin-coated coverslip and straightened using a d.c. electric field. Microscopic observation of digestion of a straightened DNA molecule by lambda exonuclease revealed that the DNA digestion rate was approximately 1000 bases/s and also demonstrated high processivity.

No abstract

Message in a bottle: Alkaline hydrothermal treatment of lysozyme–silica hybrid particles leads to cagelike hollow aluminosilicates (CHAs) with vermiculate through‐holes in the shell. Biomacromolecules can be transported inside the CHA through these holes and encapsulated within the confined inner space by crosslinking in a ship‐in‐bottle manner (see picture).