Contact: Blaine Friedlander
bpf2@cornell.edu
607-254-8093
Cornell University

Graphic of DNA Strands Separating

Caption: This image shows a DNA double helix (green and purple strands) being separated by a helicase enzyme (green globule) at the junction where the two strands fork. To show that helicases actively separate the two strands of DNA, the researchers attached one end of a DNA strand to a microscope cover slip and attached the end of the other DNA strand to a micron-sized plastic bead. The bead was then trapped in a tightly focused laser beam (red), which allowed the researchers to measure the motion of the helicase as it unwound the DNA.

Credit: Graphic created by Chris Pelkie and Daniel Ripoll/Cornell Theory Center

Usage Restrictions: None

Related news release: CU researchers solve mystery of how DNA strands separate