In
Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage Phi-29 the DNA molecule
is packed after cell division into a hollow shell by a unique
machine. The way that this machine works was the subject of
investigation by a team of scientists. Competing theories had the
machine either rotating the DNA strands as it packed them into the
shell, or just pushing them in.
Researchers attached tiny magnets to the ends of the DNA strands to
stretch them out, and
attached fluorescent tags onto the DNA strands to determine if the
strands were being rotated. The results of the study found no
rotation:
How, then, does it happen? The
researchers noted that their findings are compatible with a recently
proposed nonrotating model in which the ring of ATPases alternately
compresses and extends, drawing the DNA in—a bit like what your mouth
might do if you had to eat a plateful of spaghetti with your hands tied
behind your back.