Skip to Content

Real-Time Footage of an Enzyme Interacting with DNA

The technique could shed light on DNA repair.
September 20, 2007

For the first time, scientists have been able to observe in real time the interaction between an enzyme and its DNA target. The findings could have implications for research on cancer, which can occur when enzymes fail to repair damaged DNA.

Using a technique known as fast-scan atomic force microscopy (AFM), researchers from Edinburgh, Japan, India, and Cambridge, U.K., filmed a bacterial enzyme attaching to the DNA of a virus trying to infect the bacterium.

In a press release on the research from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, which funded the work, lead researcher Robert Henderson explains,

“This is the first time that such a process has been seen in real time. To be able [to] see these nano-mechanisms as they are really happening is incredibly exciting. We can actually see the enzyme ‘threading’ through a loop in the virus’s DNA in order to lock on to and break it, a process known as DNA cleavage.

“The microscope and new techniques give us a clear view of the molecular interactions between proteins and DNA that we could only previously interpret indirectly. The indirect methods require scientists to make assumptions to interpret their data, and video footage like this can help to provide a more direct understanding of what is really happening.

“Standard technology for filming on this scale can only produce one image frame every 8 minutes. However, our new work allows one frame per 500–or fewer, milliseconds.

“This helps us understand how enzymes recognise which bit of a DNA strand to latch onto, which is important in understanding how proteins repair damaged DNA. In the long term, this could help in the search for cancer treatments, as cancer sometimes occurs where DNA is damaged but enzymes do not behave correctly in order to repair it.”

Keep Reading

Most Popular

DeepMind’s cofounder: Generative AI is just a phase. What’s next is interactive AI.

“This is a profound moment in the history of technology,” says Mustafa Suleyman.

What to know about this autumn’s covid vaccines

New variants will pose a challenge, but early signs suggest the shots will still boost antibody responses.

Human-plus-AI solutions mitigate security threats

With the right human oversight, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence can help keep business and customer data secure

Next slide, please: A brief history of the corporate presentation

From million-dollar slide shows to Steve Jobs’s introduction of the iPhone, a bit of show business never hurt plain old business.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.