Two-state migration of DNA in a structured microchannel.
DNA migration in topologically structured microchannels with periodic cavities is investigated experimentally and with Brownian dynamics simulations of a simple bead-spring model. The results are in very good agreement with one another. In particular, the experimentally observed migration order of lambda - and T2-DNA molecules is reproduced by the simulations. The simulation data indicate that the mobility may depend on the chain length in a nonmonotonic way at high electric fields. This is found to be the signature of a nonequilibrium bistability between two different migration states, a slow one and a fast one. The latter can also be observed experimentally under appropriate conditions.
Streek
Martin
M
Kondensierte Materie, Universität Bielefeld, Fakultät für Physik, D-33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
Schmid
Friederike
F
Duong
Thanh Tu
TT
Anselmetti
Dario
D
Ros
Alexandra
A
D003198:Computer Simulation; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004058:Diffusion / Q000528:radiation effects; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D004586:Electrophoresis / Q000379:methods*; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000379:methods*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009038:Motion
D004247:DNA