Scientists from The Rockeller University along with Japanese colleagues have created a tool that is sensitive enough to physically manipulate a chromosome. Researchers can use this to measure a chromosome’s strength and stiffness.
The contraption works by utilising two very small beams that are fixed at one end and mounted underneath the lens of a microscope. One of the beams is rigid while the other is flexible and can measure the chromosomes strength when the two beams are pushed together.
It was found that the forces required to move and bend the chromosome without breaking it were in nanoNewtons of force, which is roughly a billionth of the force of Earth’s gravity on an apple.
The implications of this new ability to measure the strength of a tiny object are that other structures such as organelles can also be studied, and may help to explain the mechanism that ensures the reliability of the replication of a genome.
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Main Article:
Rockefeller University (2009, March 17). Measuring The Strength Needed To Move Chromosomes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 19, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090312214107.htm
Journal reference:
1. Itabashi et al. Probing the mechanical architecture of the vertebrate meiotic spindle. Nature Methods, 2009; 6 (2): 167 DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1297
Picture Source:
www.odec.ca/projects/2005/anna5m0/public_html
