title: Nanofabricated quartz cylinders for angular trapping: DNA supercoiling torque detection.
abstract: We designed and created nanofabricated quartz cylinders well suited for torque application and detection in an angular optical trap. We made the cylinder axis perpendicular to the extraordinary axis of the quartz crystal and chemically functionalized only one end of each cylinder for attachment to a DNA molecule. We directly measured the torque on a single DNA molecule as it underwent a phase transition from B-form to supercoiled P-form.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deufel
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Forth
authors.forename: Chad R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Siavash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dejgosha
authors.forename: Michelle D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004548:Elasticity; D004563:Electrochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007834:Lasers; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011791:Quartz / Q000737:chemistry*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D019415:Torque; D014159:Transducers
chemical_list: D011791:Quartz; D004247:DNA