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Tweezers untangle chemotherapeutic’s impact on DNA

Etoposide's impact on DNA structure has been untangled by Cornell researchers using optical tweezers and magnetic tweezers. The study found that etoposide promotes DNA loop trapping and barrier formation by topoisomerase II, enabling the creation of sensitive screening tools for improving patient treatment.

SourceCornell University·JournalNature Chemical Biology·DateJan 30, 2023

Super-resolution microscopy illuminates associations between chromosomes

Scientists have used super-resolution microscopy to identify physical connections between five human chromosomes, revealing a shared sequence encoding ribosomal DNA that holds the chromosomes together. The findings suggest that these inter-chromosomal linkages are pervasive in healthy and diseased tissue, and may play a role in chromos...

SourceStowers Institute for Medical Research·JournalJournal of Cell Biology·DateJul 3, 2019

Cutting the ties that bind

Researchers discovered that Topoisomerase II is required to resolve DNA threads connecting homologous chromosomes, allowing them to separate. Without this enzyme, chromosomes get stuck together, preventing meiosis from completing and resulting in infertility and birth defects.

SourceStowers Institute for Medical Research·JournalPLOS Genetics·DateOct 23, 2014