Blog posts

Blog posts

Cell mechanics with the C-Trap – cellular tension propagation revisited

Surprising insights into the roles of membranes and the actin cytoskeleton in cellular tension propagation – congratulations to all authors for successfully implementing a new and elegant assay with the C-Trap! There was a long-standing dispute in the scientific community about whether the actin cortex facilitates or impedes tension propagation…

Chenlu Yu28 November 2023

Blog posts

The C-Trap uncovers new insights into the mechanisms for ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling

PICH (Plk1-interacting checkpoint helicase) belongs to the SNF2 family of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers. However, what makes PICH unique is that it lacks a nucleotide-binding domain despite having a great affinity for bare DNA. Because of this molecular structure, it has been hypothesized that the binding of PICH to chromatinized bridges…

Chenlu Yu13 June 2023

Blog posts

Putting our unused lab equipment to better use

We are excited to announce that LUMICKS is donating laboratory equipment for a summer course in Yobe, Nigeria, organized by the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) and Trend In Africa. We added various tools from our LUMICKS C-Trap® head quarters to the donation. Nigeria has a huge shortage…

Chenlu Yu26 May 2023

Blog posts

C-Trap^® experiments reveal novel mechanism for transcription termination in bacteria

New insights into the regulation of transcription termination have been revealed by researchers from the lab of Shixin Liu at The Rockefeller University, New York, in a recent publication in Molecular Cell. Using the powerful LUMICKS C-Trap® technology that allows the direct observation of molecular mechanisms, they were able to…

Chenlu Yu31 March 2023

Blog posts

100th study using the C-Trap^® provides crucial insights into how the Smc5/6 complex stabilizes certain DNA structures

A recent study published in Nature Communications led by Shixin Liu from The Rockefeller University, New York, demonstrates how the C-Trap® can be used to directly visualize and observe molecular mechanisms in action, leading to better and faster insights into critical molecular processes. This study marks an important milestone for LUMICKS,…

Chenlu Yu28 March 2023

Blog posts

C-Trap^® experiments shed light on the mechanisms that govern Structural Maintenance of Chromosome (SMC) Complexes

In two recent scientific publications, Johannes Stigler and his team from the Gene Center of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany, set out to mechanistically describe the action of the Structural Maintenance of Chromosome (SMC) Complexes using LUMICKS’ C-Trap® technology. By performing dynamic single-molecule experiments coupled with real-time visualization, they were able…

Chenlu Yu9 March 2023

Blog posts

Unlocking the secrets of DNA-binding proteins in nuclear extracts using dynamic single-molecule analysis

For a long time, scientists have been striving to understand how DNA-binding proteins interact with DNA substrates in real time at the single-molecule level, using a variety of imaging techniques and optical platforms. However, for most of these methods scientists always had to choose between studying purified proteins under specific…

Chenlu Yu28 February 2023

Blog posts

C-Trap^® experiments highlight the potential of POLQ inhibitors as BRCA-deficient cancer therapeutics

Double-stranded breaks (DSBs) are among the most serious and lethal types of DNA damage known that can lead to cell death and cancer. POLQ is an enzyme in humans that we know plays a crucial role in DSB repair and is overexpressed in many types of cancer, promoting cancer cell…

Chenlu Yu6 February 2023

Blog posts

Transcription factors and chromatin co-condensate and generate forces that alter genomic structure and function

Researchers led by Yael David and Shixin Liu have published a Nature Communications study describing for the first time the mechanisms underlying the co-condensation between transcription factors and DNA. By performing dynamic single-molecule experiments using LUMICKS’ C-Trap® technology, they were able to prove the physiological importance of phase-separated sub-compartments (co-condensates)…

Chenlu Yu7 December 2022

Blog posts

Dynamic single-molecule experiments expose catch bonds as key to cell strength and flexibility

In a recent Nature Materials publication, scientists show for the first time how certain types of molecular bonds known as “catch bonds” make it possible for cells to combine both mechanical strength to withstand forces and adaptability to change shape and move. By performing dynamic single-molecule experiments with LUMICKS’ C-Trap®,…

Chenlu Yu13 October 2022

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