Tiny fishing reel gets DNA researchers out of a tangle


	Tiny fishing reel gets DNA researchers out of a tangle

Mohir

7-14-2008 2:48 PM

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tags:

dna, technology

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://www.clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/95472508-3695-4a5b-bff4-c6c252905487/78622E4A-7768-4504-8AF3-79C3E4FED47A/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14304-tiny-fishing-reel-gets-dna-researchers-out-of-a-tangle.html?feedId=online-news_rss20" href="http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14304-tiny-fishing-reel-gets-dna-researchers-out-of-a-tangle.html?feedId=online-news_rss20" style="font-size: 11px;">technology.newscientist.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14304-tiny-fishing-reel-gets-dna-researchers-out-of-a-tangle.html?feedId=online-news_rss20"><div align="center"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/technology.newscientist.com/img/2637B7B6-FE50-48B3-BE22-C399932FD52F" alt="A microhook picks up the DNA strand (left), which can be wound onto a pair of microbobbins (Image: K Terao/Kyoto University 2008)" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14304-tiny-fishing-reel-gets-dna-researchers-out-of-a-tangle.html?feedId=online-news_rss20"><P>The world's smallest fishing reel has been used to wind up DNA strands without damaging them. The microdevice was designed to let geneticists more precisely locate specific genes and identify genetic disorders.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14304-tiny-fishing-reel-gets-dna-researchers-out-of-a-tangle.html?feedId=online-news_rss20"><P>Scientists use <A target="ns" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent_in_situ_hybridization" linkindex="22">gene markers</A>, which bind to specific DNA regions or chromosomes, to determine the presence of certain genetic disorders. But because DNA molecules tend to tangle, it can be difficult to see exactly where the markers have attached.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14304-tiny-fishing-reel-gets-dna-researchers-out-of-a-tangle.html?feedId=online-news_rss20"><P>Now, Terao's team has developed minuscule hooks and bobbins that mimic the way a fishing reel winds line onto a spool as a safer way to manipulate DNA. These are fabricated from a polymer called SU-8 photoresist that doesn't bind to and damage the DNA.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14304-tiny-fishing-reel-gets-dna-researchers-out-of-a-tangle.html?feedId=online-news_rss20"><P>Because the DNA isn't chemically modified before manipulation, and because the microhooks grab the middle of the molecules instead of the ends, breakages are less likely, says Terao.</P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/78622E4A-7768-4504-8AF3-79C3E4FED47A/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content6.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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