RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Fast imaging of DNA motion reveals distinct sub-diffusion regimes at the site of DNA damage JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 042051 DO 10.1101/042051 A1 Judith Miné-Hattab A1 Vincent Recamier A1 Ignacio Izeddin A1 Rodney Rothstein A1 Xavier Darzacq YR 2016 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/03/01/042051.abstract AB The dynamic organization of genes inside the nucleus is an important determinant for their biological function. Using ultra-fast microscopy in living S. cerevisiae cells and improved analysis of DNA mean square displacements, we observe that DNA motion is sub-diffusive at time scales ranging from 10 ms to a few minutes. These distinct sub-diffusive regimes simultaneously drive DNA motion differently at each time scale. In response to a double-strand break, a damaged locus is more mobile at large time scales but, surprisingly, the broken DNA imaged at millisecond intervals is much less mobile. Such a change in the sub-diffusion mode dramatically modifies how DNA explores its surrounding nuclear space. We propose a model in which stiffening of the damaged DNA ends by the repair complex reduces its mobility locally, but allows significant nuclear exploration at longer time scales due to an enhanced ability to traverse the DNA meshwork.