Effect of Cisplatin on the Flexibility of Linear DNA

With the aid of an atomic force microscope (AFM), we study the interaction between linear DNA fragment and cisplatin. For different cisplatin concentrations, the AFM used to observe the conformation of DNA has a gradual change. The contour length, the end-to-end distance and the local bend angles of the linear DNA fragment can be accurately measured. The persistence length of DNA interacting with cisplatin is decreased with the increasing cisplatin concentration. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the local bend angles of DNA chains are increased by the binding interaction of cisplatin.