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January 2009: Researchers unzip molecules to measure interactions keeping DNA packed in cells

Anyone who has ever battled a stuck zipper knows it's a good idea to see what's stuck, where and how badly--and then to pull hard.

A Cornell research team's experiments involve the "unzipping" of single DNA molecules. By mapping the hiccups, stoppages and forces along the way, they have gained new insight into how genes are packed and expressed within cells.

The research, published online Jan. 11 in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology (doi:10.1038/nsmb.1526), was led by Michelle Wang, associate professor of physics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Collaborators on the project included physics graduate student Michael Hall and John Lis, the Barbara McClintock Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Full article