Optical tweezers have become the method of choice in single-molecule manipulation
studies. In this Primer, we first review the physical principles of optical tweezers and the …

Optical forces can be used to manipulate biological and colloidal material in a non-contact
manner. This forms the foundation of a wealth of exciting science, particularly in the fields of …

Cohesin folds mammalian interphase chromosomes by extruding the chromatin fiber into
numerous loops.“Loop extrusion” can be impeded by chromatin-bound factors, such as …

Single-molecule force spectroscopy has emerged as a powerful tool to investigate the forces
and motions associated with biological molecules and enzymatic activity. The most common …

We report a mechanism through which the transcription machinery directly controls
topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) activity to adjust DNA topology throughout the transcription cycle …

Since their invention just over 20 years ago, optical traps have emerged as a powerful tool
with broad-reaching applications in biology and physics. Capabilities have evolved from …

DNA topoisomerases are the magicians of the DNA world—by allowing DNA strands or
double helices to pass through each other, they can solve all of the topological problems of …

The miniaturization of components used in the construction of working devices is being
pursued currently by the large‐downward (top‐down) fabrication. This approach, however …

The biomolecule is among the most important building blocks of biological systems, and a
full understanding of its function forms the scaffold for describing the mechanisms of higher …

The basic features of DNA were elucidated during the half-century following the discovery of
the double helix. But it is only during the past decade that researchers have been able to …