SANS study of the interactions among DNA, a cationic surfactant, and polystyrene latex particles.

The compaction of DNA by a cationic surfactant both in the bulk and adsorbed on the surface of latex particles was followed for the first time by SANS. In the bulk, a decrease in the overall size of the DNA coil in the presence of the cationic surfactant was observed at a negative-to-positive charge ratio far below the phase separation region, at a negative-to-positive charge ratio of 18. Additionally, large surfactant aggregates seem to form within the DNA-surfactant complex.