title: Repulsive DNA-DNA interactions accelerate viral DNA packaging in phage Phi29.
abstract: We use optical tweezers to study the effect of attractive versus repulsive DNA-DNA interactions on motor-driven viral packaging. Screening of repulsive interactions accelerates packaging, but induction of attractive interactions by spermidine(3+) causes heterogeneous dynamics. Acceleration is observed in a fraction of complexes, but most exhibit slowing and stalling, suggesting that attractive interactions promote nonequilibrium DNA conformations that impede the motor. Thus, repulsive interactions facilitate packaging despite increasing the energy of the theoretical optimum spooled DNA conformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Damian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: delToro
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences and Institute for Molecular Virology, University of Minnesota, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Grimes
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences and Institute for Molecular Virology, University of Minnesota, 515 Delaware Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Jardine
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Douglas E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D042003:DNA Packaging; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D052898:Optical Tweezers
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral