Derivation of nearest-neighbor DNA parameters in magnesium from single molecule experiments.

DNA hybridization is an essential molecular reaction in biology with many applications. The nearest-neighbor (NN) model for nucleic acids predicts DNA thermodynamics using energy values for the different base pair motifs. These values have been derived from melting experiments in monovalent and divalent salt and applied to predict melting temperatures of oligos within a few degrees.

Elastic Properties of Nucleic Acids by Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy.

We review the current knowledge on the use of single-molecule force spectroscopy techniques to extrapolate the elastic properties of nucleic acids. We emphasize the lesser-known elastic properties of single-stranded DNA. We discuss the importance of accurately determining the elastic response in pulling experiments, and we review the simplest models used to rationalize the experimental data as well as the experimental approaches used to pull single-stranded DNA.

A Temperature-Jump Optical Trap for Single-Molecule Manipulation.

To our knowledge, we have developed a novel temperature-jump optical tweezers setup that changes the temperature locally and rapidly. It uses a heating laser with a wavelength that is highly absorbed by water so it can cover a broad range of temperatures. This instrument can record several force-distance curves for one individual molecule at various temperatures with good thermal and mechanical stability.

Universal axial fluctuations in optical tweezers.

Optical tweezers (OTs) allow the measurement of fluctuations at the nanoscale, in particular fluctuations in the end-to-end distance in single molecules. Fluctuation spectra can yield valuable information, but they can easily be contaminated by instrumental effects. We identify axial fluctuations, i.

Free-energy inference from partial work measurements in small systems.

Fluctuation relations (FRs) are among the few existing general results in nonequilibrium systems. Their verification requires the measurement of the total work performed on a system. Nevertheless in many cases only a partial measurement of the work is possible.