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Chapter D6 - Electric birefringence

from Part D - Hydrodynamics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 November 2012

Igor N. Serdyuk ,
Nathan R. Zaccai  and
Joseph Zaccai
Igor N. Serdyuk
Affiliation:
Institute of Protein Research, Moscow
Nathan R. Zaccai
Affiliation:
University of Bristol
Joseph Zaccai
Affiliation:
Institut de Biologie Structurale, Grenoble
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Summary

Historical review and introduction to biological problems

1875–1880

J. Kerr first observed the transient electric birefringence effect (TEB) and established that the birefringence is proportional to the square of the field strength. Later, the law was named after him.

1880–1920

During this time high d.c. voltage generation was used in the study of TEB. It seriously hampered the application of TEB to the study of aqueous solutions because of their conductivity. In 1940–1950 a few groups (W. Kaye and R. Devaney, N. A. Tolstoy and P. P. Feofilov, C. T. O'Konski and B. H. Zimm, and H. Benoit) independently initiated the measurements of the electric birefringence of colloidal systems using a short rectangular electrical pulse. This greatly reduces the heating and polarisation effects, which are most critical in studies biological macromolecules.

1910

L. Langevin proposed the first theory for electric birefringence. In 1918 M. Born generalised the theory. It was shown that the orientation of optically anisotropic molecules may be caused by a permanent dipole momentum or its electrical anisotropy, or both. In 1931, A. Peterlin and H. A. Stuart extended the theory to suspensions of rigid particles.

1951

H. Benoit developed a theory for transient phenomena by solving the diffusion equation, which describes the rotational diffusion of axially symmetric rigid macromolecules following the establishment and disappearance of an electric field. He showed that the rotational diffusion coefficients can be obtained from the decay curve and the mechanism of electrical orientation can be elucidated from the build-up curve.

Type
Chapter
Information
Methods in Molecular Biophysics
Structure, Dynamics, Function
 , pp. 414 - 434
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2007

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References

Fredericq, E., and Houssier, C. (1973). Electric Dichroism and Electric Birefringence.Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Hagerman, P. J. (1996). Sometimes a great motion: application of transient electric birefringence to study of macromolecular structure. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol., 6, 643–649.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Belmonte, P. A., Martinez, C. L., and Garcia de la Torre, J. (1991). Time course of the orientation and birefringence of axially symmetric macromolecules upon reversal of an electric field of arbitrary strength. J. Phys. Chem., 95, 5661–5664.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charney, E. (1988). Electric linear dichroism and birefringence of biological polyelectrolites. Quart. Rev. Biophys., 21, 1–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagerman, P. J. (1985). Application of transient electric birefringence to the study of biopolymer structure. Methods in Enzymol., 117, 199–215.Google Scholar
Kooijman, M., Bloemendal, M., Amerongen, H., Traub, P., and Grondelle, R. (1994). Characterization of multiple oligomeric vimentin intermediate filament units by transient electric birefringence measurements. J. Mol. Biol., 236, 1241–1249.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klotz, L. C., and Zimm, B. H. (1972). Size of DNA determined by viscoelastic measurements: results on bacteriophage. Bacilus Subtilus and Escherichia Coli, 72, 779–800.Google Scholar
Hagerman, P. J., and Zimm, B. H. (1981). Monte Carlo approach to the analysis of the rotational diffusion of wormlike chains. Biopolymers, 20, 1481–1502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diekmann, S., Hillen, W., Morgeneyer Wells, R. D., and Porschke, D. (1982). Orientation relaxation of DNA restriction fragments and the internal mobility of the double helix. Biophys. Chem., 15, 263–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pecora, R. (1991) DNA: a model compound for solution studies of macromolecules, Science, 251, 893–898.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kebbekus, P., Draper, D. E., and Hagerman, P. J. (1995). Persistence length of RNA. Biochemistry, 34, 4354–4357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hagerman, P. J. (2000). Transient electric birefringence for determining global conformations of nonhelix elements and protein-induced bends in RNA. Meth. Enzymol., 317, 440–453.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lu, Y., Weers, B., Stellwagen, N. C. (2001–2002). DNA persistence length revisited. Biopolymers, 61, 261–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagerman, P. J. (1981). Investigation of the flexibility of DNA using transient electric birefringence. Biopolymers, 20, 1503–1535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stellwagen, N. C. (1996). Electric birefringence of kilobase-sized DNA molecules. Biophys. Chem., 58, 117–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cantor, C., and Schimmel, P. (1980). Biophysical Chemistry. Part III. The Behavior of Biological Macromolecules. San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman and Company.Google Scholar
Fredericq, E., and Houssier, C. (1973). Electric Dichroism and Electric Birefringence.Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Hagerman, P. J. (1996). Sometimes a great motion: application of transient electric birefringence to study of macromolecular structure. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol., 6, 643–649.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Belmonte, P. A., Martinez, C. L., and Garcia de la Torre, J. (1991). Time course of the orientation and birefringence of axially symmetric macromolecules upon reversal of an electric field of arbitrary strength. J. Phys. Chem., 95, 5661–5664.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charney, E. (1988). Electric linear dichroism and birefringence of biological polyelectrolites. Quart. Rev. Biophys., 21, 1–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagerman, P. J. (1985). Application of transient electric birefringence to the study of biopolymer structure. Methods in Enzymol., 117, 199–215.Google Scholar
Kooijman, M., Bloemendal, M., Amerongen, H., Traub, P., and Grondelle, R. (1994). Characterization of multiple oligomeric vimentin intermediate filament units by transient electric birefringence measurements. J. Mol. Biol., 236, 1241–1249.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klotz, L. C., and Zimm, B. H. (1972). Size of DNA determined by viscoelastic measurements: results on bacteriophage. Bacilus Subtilus and Escherichia Coli, 72, 779–800.Google Scholar
Hagerman, P. J., and Zimm, B. H. (1981). Monte Carlo approach to the analysis of the rotational diffusion of wormlike chains. Biopolymers, 20, 1481–1502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diekmann, S., Hillen, W., Morgeneyer Wells, R. D., and Porschke, D. (1982). Orientation relaxation of DNA restriction fragments and the internal mobility of the double helix. Biophys. Chem., 15, 263–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pecora, R. (1991) DNA: a model compound for solution studies of macromolecules, Science, 251, 893–898.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kebbekus, P., Draper, D. E., and Hagerman, P. J. (1995). Persistence length of RNA. Biochemistry, 34, 4354–4357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hagerman, P. J. (2000). Transient electric birefringence for determining global conformations of nonhelix elements and protein-induced bends in RNA. Meth. Enzymol., 317, 440–453.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lu, Y., Weers, B., Stellwagen, N. C. (2001–2002). DNA persistence length revisited. Biopolymers, 61, 261–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hagerman, P. J. (1981). Investigation of the flexibility of DNA using transient electric birefringence. Biopolymers, 20, 1503–1535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stellwagen, N. C. (1996). Electric birefringence of kilobase-sized DNA molecules. Biophys. Chem., 58, 117–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cantor, C., and Schimmel, P. (1980). Biophysical Chemistry. Part III. The Behavior of Biological Macromolecules. San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman and Company.Google Scholar

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