Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Q Rev Biophys. 2010 Feb;43(1):23-63. doi: 10.1017/S0033583510000077. Epub 2010 May 18.
It has been more than 50 years since the elucidation of the structure of double-helical DNA. Despite active research and progress in DNA biology and biochemistry, much remains to be learned in the field of DNA biophysics. Predicting the sequence-dependent curvature and flexibility of DNA is difficult. Applicability of the conventional worm-like chain polymer model of DNA has been challenged. The fundamental forces responsible for the remarkable resistance of DNA to bending and twisting remain controversial. The apparent 'softening' of DNA measured in vivo in the presence of kinking proteins and superhelical strain is incompletely understood. New methods and insights are being applied to these problems. This review places current work on DNA biophysics in historical context and illustrates the ongoing interplay between theory and experiment in this exciting field.
自双螺旋 DNA 结构阐明以来已经超过 50 年。尽管 DNA 生物学和生物化学领域的研究和进展十分活跃，但在 DNA 生物物理学领域仍有许多需要学习的地方。预测 DNA 的序列依赖性曲率和柔韧性具有挑战性。传统的 DNA 类似蠕虫链聚合物模型的适用性受到了挑战。导致 DNA 对弯曲和扭曲具有显著抵抗力的基本力仍然存在争议。在存在扭结蛋白和超螺旋应变的情况下，在体内测量到的 DNA 明显“软化”现象尚未被完全理解。目前正在将新的方法和见解应用于这些问题。本综述将 DNA 生物物理学的当前工作置于历史背景下，并说明了该令人兴奋的领域中理论和实验之间的持续相互作用。
