Far-field electrostatic signatures of macromolecular 3D conformation

Journal article

In solution as in vacuum, the electrostatic field distribution in the vicinity of a charged object carries information on its three-dimensional geometry. We report on an experimental study exploring the effect of molecular shape on long-range electrostatic interactions in solution. Working with DNA nanostructures carrying approximately equal amounts of total charge but each in a different three-dimensional conformation, we demonstrate that the geometry of the distribution of charge in a molecule has substantial impact on its electrical interactions. For instance, a tetrahedral structure, which is the most compact distribution of charge we tested, can create a far-field effect that is effectively identical to that of a rod-shaped molecule carrying half the amount of total structural charge. Our experiments demonstrate that escape-time electrometry (ETe) furnishes a rapid and facile method to screen and identify 3D conformations of charged biomolecules or molecular complexes in solution.

Authors: Kloes, G; Bennett, TJD; Chapet-Batlle, A; Behjatian, A; Turberfield, AJ

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Journal: Nano Letters
• Volume: 22
• Issue: 19
• Pages: 7834-7840
• Publication date: 2022-09-20
• Acceptance date: 2022-09-07
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c02485
• EISSN: 1530-6992
• ISSN: 1530-6984
• Language: English
• Keywords: FFR