Summary
Confining DNA molecules in a nanofluidic channel, particularly in channels with cross sections comparable to the persistence length of the DNA molecule (about 50 nm), allows the discovery of new biophysical phenomena. This sub-100 nm nanofluidic channel can be used as a novel platform to study and analyze the static as well as the dynamic properties of single DNA molecules, and can be integrated into a biochip to investigate the interactions between protein and DNA molecules. For instance, nanofluidic channel arrays that have widths of approximately 40 nm, depths of 60 nm, and lengths of 50 μm are created rapidly and exactly by a focused-ion beam milling instrument on a silicon nitride film; and the open channels are sealed with anodic bonding technology. Subsequently, lambda phage DNA (λ-DNA; stained with the fluorescent dye, YOYO-1) molecules are introduced into these nanoconduits by capillary force. The movements of the DNA molecules, e.g. stretching, recoiling, and transporting along channels, are studied with fluorescence microscopy.
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Acknowledgments
This work is supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60771048, No. 60025516, and No. 10334100), and the Major Project of National Science Foundation of China (No. 60138010), and partly supported by National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, China.
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Wang, KG., Niu, H. (2009). Nanofluidic Channel Fabrication and Manipulation of DNA Molecules. In: Foote, R., Lee, J. (eds) Micro and Nano Technologies in Bioanalysis. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 544. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-483-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-483-4_2
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