Ensemble dynamics of large DNA molecules within entangled and crosslinked cytoskeleton networks
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Excerpt of abstract: The cellular interior is highly crowded. How biological macromolecules, such as DNA, diffuse through these environments has yet to be fully elucidated. We mimic the crowded cellular environment by creating custom-designed co-polymerized networks of actin and microtubules that are crosslinked at various motifs. We study the effect of the co-entangled and co-crosslinked cytoskeleton networks on the ensemble dynamics of large circular and linear DNA molecules using selective-plane illumination differential dynamic microscopy (SPIDDM). As a digital Fourier microscopy technique, SPIDDM measures dynamics over a large range of length and time scales that supplement and expand on the dynamics measured using single-molecule tracking of DNA in the same environments. We find interesting differences between ensemble and single-molecule dynamics over the temporal and spatial scales probed.