Probing binding interactions between molecules and nucleic acids by unzipping a nucleic acid molecule double helix

摘要

The present invention is directed to a method of identifying the location of a binding site for a binding molecule on a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, a method of directly determining the equilibrium association constant of a target binding molecule specific to a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, a method of determining the dynamic force signature of a target binding molecule in relation to a binding site on a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, a method of identifying whether a target nucleic acid molecule is present in a sample, a method of producing a restriction map, or a method of identifying whether a target protein is present in a sample. The methods are carried out by comparing the force required to unzip the first and second nucleic acid strands of the double-stranded nucleic acid molecule without and (potentially) with a binding molecule bound to the double-stranded nucleic acid molecule.