Seeing Single Molecules Move

Topic

Resource Type

Level

College

Duration

00:01:40

Saved By

2 Users

Description

This animation shows how transcription factors find their binding sites in real time. It is based on data from an imaging method that can track single molecules in a living cell.

Single-molecule imaging is a method that uses super-resolution microscopes to visualize molecules as small as 2–25 nm. The animation was developed using single-molecule data that tracked how two transcription factors, SOX2 and OCT4, find their target binding sites on DNA. As shown, the transcription factors “sample” the DNA sequence (represented in the animation as rapid rotations around the DNA molecule) in a trial-and-error manner, until they finally bind to the right sites.

Note that this animation has no narration. Depending on students’ background, it may be helpful to pause the animation at various points to discuss different structures.

Key Terms

binding site, diffusion, DNA, enhancer, microscopy, protein, regulator, transcription factor

Primary Literature

Chen, Jiji, Zhengjian Zhang, Li Li, Bi-Chang Chen, Andrey Revyakin, Bassam Hajj, Wesley Legant, et al. “Single-Molecule Dynamics of Enhanceosome Assembly in Embryonic Stem Cells.” Cell 156, 6 (2014): 1274–1285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.062.

Terms of Use

The resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. No rights are granted to use HHMI’s or BioInteractive’s names or logos independent from this Resource or in any derivative works.