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CTCF is a DNA-tension-dependent barrier to cohesin-mediated loop extrusion

Davidson, Iain F. (author), Barth, R. (author), Zaczek, Maciej (author), van der Torre, J. (author), Tang, Wen (author), Nagasaka, Kota (author), Janissen, R. (author), Kerssemakers, J.W.J. (author), Wutz, Gordana (author), Dekker, C. (author), Peters, Jan Michael (author)

In eukaryotes, genomic DNA is extruded into loops by cohesin¹. By restraining this process, the DNA-binding protein CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) generates topologically associating domains (TADs)^2,3 that have important roles in gene regulation and recombination during development and disease^1,4–7. How CTCF...

journal article 2023

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Testing pseudotopological and nontopological models for SMC-driven DNA loop extrusion against roadblock-traversal experiments

Barth, R. (author), Pradhan, B. (author), Kim, E. (author), Davidson, Iain F. (author), van der Torre, J. (author), Peters, Jan Michael (author), Dekker, C. (author)

DNA loop extrusion by structural-maintenance-of-chromosome (SMC) complexes has emerged as a primary organizing principle for chromosomes. The mechanism by which SMC motor proteins extrude DNA loops is still unresolved and much debated. The ring-like structure of SMC complexes prompted multiple models where the extruded DNA is topologically or...

journal article 2023

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Dynamic ParB–DNA interactions initiate and maintain a partition condensate for bacterial chromosome segregation

Tišma, M. (author), Janissen, R. (author), Antar, Hammam (author), Martin Gonzalez, A. (author), Barth, R. (author), Beekman, T.G.T. (author), van der Torre, J. (author), Michieletto, Davide (author), Gruber, Stephan (author), Dekker, C. (author)

In most bacteria, chromosome segregation is driven by the ParABS system where the CTPase protein ParB loads at the parS site to trigger the formation of a large partition complex. Here, we present in vitro studies of the partition complex for Bacillus subtilis ParB, using single-molecule fluorescence microscopy and AFM imaging to show that...

journal article 2023

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A new setup to study the influence of plant growth on the consolidation of dredged cohesive sediment

Barciela Rial, M. (author), Saaltink, Remon M. (author), van Kessel, Thijs (author), Chassagne, C. (author), Dekker, Stefan C. (author), de Boer, Hugo J. (author), Griffioen, Jasper (author), Wassen, Martin J. (author), Winterwerp, J.C. (author)

Dredged cohesive sediment is progressively being used for wetland construction. However, little is known about the effect of plant growth during the self-weight consolidation of this sediment. In order to check the feasibility of such a study, a new experimental setup has been constructed. As an example, the effect of Phragmites australis on the...

journal article 2023

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Unsteady flow behaviour of multi-rotors in ground proximity

Dekker, H.N.J. (author), Baars, W.J. (author), Scarano, F. (author), Tuinstra, Marthijn (author), Ragni, D. (author)

The unsteady flow behaviour of two side-by-side rotors in ground proximity is experimentally investigated. The rotors induce a velocity distribution interacting with the ground causing the radial expansion of the rotor wakes. In between the rotors, an interaction of the two wakes takes place, resulting in an upward flow similar to a fountain....

journal article 2023

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MukBEF-dependent chromosomal organization in widened Escherichia coli

Japaridze, A. (author), van Wee, R.G. (author), Gogou, C. (author), Kerssemakers, J.W.J. (author), van den Berg, D.F. (author), Dekker, C. (author)

The bacterial chromosome is spatially organized through protein-mediated compaction, supercoiling, and cell-boundary confinement. Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes are a major class of chromosome-organizing proteins present throughout all domains of life. Here, we study the role of the Escherichia coli SMC complex MukBEF...

journal article 2023

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Detection of phosphorylation post-translational modifications along single peptides with nanopores

Nova, I.C. (author), Ritmejeris, J. (author), Brinkerhoff, H.D. (author), Koenig, T.J.R. (author), Gundlach, Jens H. (author), Dekker, C. (author)

Current methods to detect post-translational modifications of proteins, such as phosphate groups, cannot measure single molecules or differentiate between closely spaced phosphorylation sites. We detect post-translational modifications at the single-molecule level on immunopeptide sequences with cancer-associated phosphate variants by...

journal article 2023

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Opto-electronic feedback control of membrane potential for real-time control of action potentials

Ördög, Balázs (author), De Coster, Tim (author), Dekker, Sven O. (author), Bart, Cindy I. (author), Zhang, Juan (author), Boink, Gerard J.J. (author), Bax, Wilhelmina H. (author), Deng, Shanliang (author), den Ouden, B.L. (author), de Vries, Antoine A.F. (author), Pijnappels, Daniël A. (author)

To unlock new research possibilities by acquiring control of action potential (AP) morphologies in excitable cells, we developed an opto-electronic feedback loop-based system integrating cellular electrophysiology, real-time computing, and optogenetic approaches and applied it to monolayers of heart muscle cells. This allowed accurate...

journal article 2023

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Healthy computer working

Dekker, M.C. (author)

Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI), also known as Work-Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD), surged in the early years of this millennium due to computer work. In this thesis, the magnitude, causes and consequences of this phenomenon for the student population of the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering (IDE) at the Delft University of...

doctoral thesis 2022

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A Microfluidic Cancer-on-Chip Platform Predicts Drug Response Using Organotypic Tumor Slice Culture

Chakrabarty, Sanjiban (author), Quiros Solano, W.F. (author), Kuijten, Maayke M.P. (author), Haspels, Ben (author), Mallya, Sandeep (author), van de Stolpe, Anja (author), Odijk, Hanny (author), van Weerden, Wytske M. (author), Dekker, R. (author)

Optimal treatment of cancer requires diagnostic methods to facilitate therapy choice and prevent ineffective treatments. Direct assessment of therapy response in viable tumor specimens could fill this diagnostic gap. Therefore, we designed a microfluidic platform for assessment of patient treatment response using tumor tissue slices under...

journal article 2022

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Focused ultrasound neuromodulation on a multiwell MEA

Saccher, M. (author), Kawasaki, S. (author), Proietti Onori, Martina (author), van Woerden, Geeske M. (author), Giagka, Vasiliki (author), Dekker, R. (author)

Background<br/>Microelectrode arrays (MEA) enable the measurement and stimulation of the electrical activity of cultured cells. The integration of other neuromodulation methods will significantly enhance the application range of MEAs to study their effects on neurons. A neuromodulation method that is recently gaining more attention is focused...

journal article 2022

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‘Ladder’-based safety culture assessments inversely predict safety outcomes

Boskeljon-Horst, L. (author), Sillem, S. (author), Dekker, S.W.A. (author)

There is little empirical evidence on the predictive value of safety culture assessments (SCAs) in relation to how accident-prone an organisation might be. Recently, Antonsen not just demonstrated how a quantitative SCA mispredicted future safety outcomes, but actually showed an inverse relationship between the assessment and subsequent critical...

journal article 2022

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Managing Knowledge for Future-proof Tunnels in the Netherlands

de Haas, K. (author), Berkhout, B (author), Dekker, H.R.E. (author), Broere, W. (author)

Determining the scope of (structural) renovation of aging tunnels is a complicated task and modular renovation is becoming increasingly necessary. The COB Tunnel Programme aims at developing the knowledge necessary to renovate these tunnels in a modular fashion, to reduce hindrance as much as possible. Part of this program is the development of...

conference paper 2022

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The archaeal division protein CdvB1 assembles into polymers that are depolymerized by CdvC

Blanch Jover, A. (author), De Franceschi, N. (author), Fenel, Daphna (author), Weissenhorn, Winfried (author), Dekker, C. (author)

The Cdv proteins constitute the cell division system of the Crenarchaea, a machinery closely related to the ESCRT system of eukaryotes. Using a combination of TEM imaging and biochemical assays, we here present an in vitro study of Metallosphaera sedula CdvB1, the Cdv protein that is believed to play a major role in the constricting ring that...

journal article 2022

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Sustained unidirectional rotation of a self-organized DNA rotor on a nanopore

Shi, X. (author), Pumm, Anna Katharina (author), Isensee, Jonas (author), Zhao, W. (author), Verschueren, D.V. (author), Martin Gonzalez, A. (author), Golestanian, Ramin (author), Dietz, Hendrik (author), Dekker, C. (author)

Flow-driven rotary motors such as windmills and water wheels drive functional processes in human society. Although examples of such rotary motors also feature prominently in cell biology, their synthetic construction at the nanoscale has remained challenging. Here we demonstrate flow-driven rotary motion of a self-organized DNA nanostructure...

journal article 2022

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High-throughput single-molecule experiments reveal heterogeneity, state switching, and three interconnected pause states in transcription

Janissen, R. (author), Eslami Mossallam, B. (author), Artsimovitch, Irina (author), Depken, S.M. (author), Dekker, N.H. (author)

Pausing by bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAp) is vital in the recruitment of regulatory factors, RNA folding, and coupled translation. While backtracking and intra-structural isomerization have been proposed to trigger pausing, our mechanistic understanding of backtrack-associated pauses and catalytic recovery remains incomplete. Using high...

journal article 2022

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CRISPR-dCas9 based DNA detection scheme for diagnostics in resource-limited settings

Bengtson, M.L. (author), Bharadwaj, M. (author), Franch, O. (author), van der Torre, J. (author), Meerdink, V.E.E. (author), Schallig, Henk (author), Dekker, C. (author)

Nucleic-acid detection is crucial for basic research as well as for applications in medicine such as diagnostics. In resource-limited settings, however, most DNA-detection diagnostic schemes are inapplicable since they rely on expensive machinery, electricity, and trained personnel. Here, we present an isothermal DNA detection scheme for the...

journal article 2022

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Spin-Mixing Enhanced Proximity Effect in Aluminum-Based Superconductor–Semiconductor Hybrids

Mazur, G.P. (author), van Loo, N. (author), Wang, J. (author), Dvir, T. (author), Wang, Guanzhong (author), Korneychuk, S. (author), Borsoi, F. (author), Dekker, R.C. (author), Badawy, G.H.A. (author), Vinke, Peter (author), Quintero Perez, M. (author), Heedt, S. (author), Kouwenhoven, Leo P. (author)

In superconducting quantum circuits, aluminum is one of the most widely used materials. It is currently also the superconductor of choice for the development of topological qubits. However, aluminum-based devices suffer from poor magnetic field compatibility. Herein, this limitation is resolved by showing that adatoms of heavy elements (e.g.,...

journal article 2022

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Transport receptor occupancy in nuclear pore complex mimics

Fragasso, A. (author), de Vries, Hendrik W. (author), Andersson, John (author), van der Sluis, E.O. (author), van der Giessen, Erik (author), Onck, Patrick R. (author), Dekker, C. (author)

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) regulate all molecular transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm in eukaryotic cells. Intrinsically disordered Phe-Gly nucleoporins (FG-Nups) line the central conduit of NPCs to impart a selective barrier where large proteins are excluded unless bound to a transport receptor (karyopherin; Kap). Here, we...

journal article 2022

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CENP-B-mediated DNA loops regulate activity and stability of human centromeres

Chardon, Florian (author), Japaridze, A. (author), Witt, Hannes (author), Velikovsky, Leonid (author), Chakraborty, Camellia (author), Wilhelm, Therese (author), Dumont, Marie (author), Yang, W.W.W. (author), Dekker, C. (author)

Chromosome inheritance depends on centromeres, epigenetically specified regions of chromosomes. While conventional human centromeres are known to be built of long tandem DNA repeats, much of their architecture remains unknown. Using single-molecule techniques such as AFM, nanopores, and optical tweezers, we find that human centromeric DNA...

journal article 2022