Dynamisches Verhalten teilgestreckter DNA-Moleküle in submikrofluidischen Kanälen

The investigation of the physical properties of deoxyribonucleic acid under confinement is an essential step for the all-embracing understanding of the replication and transcription in living cells as well as for the development of the biomimetic nanotechnology. The following report addresses the measure-ment and interpretation of the intramolecular diffusion along stretched λ-DNA-molecules. This work comprises the fabrication of submicroscopic channels via softlithography, the integration of the chan-nels in an experimental setup with a fluorescence microscope and a source-measurement unit, and the experiments with the DNA-stretching in electrical field. The important results are the development of a measuring assembly with stable, softlithographic structures in Ormostamp, the direct imaging and measurement of the intermolecular diffusion along stretched DNA-molecules in channels with cross sections down to 100 x 300 nm2, and the qualitative and quantitative analysis on the basis of models of polymer physics.