Noa Plavner-Hazan
Got my B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from the Agriculture Faculty, Hebrew University,
Jerusalem. Got my M.Sc. in Biochemistry from the Life Science department, Ben-Gurion
University, Beer-Sheva. I specialize in biochemistry and molecular biology techniques for analyzing protein and DNA. In Dr. Eyal Nir's group I'm working with histones proteins, known to wrap nucleosomal DNA and constituting the basic unit responsible for DNA condensation in the nuclei. My research is focused on the affinities between the different components of the nucleosome and the dynamics of the nucleosomal DNA. I'm utilizing the improved techniques available in our lab- single molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer coupled to
Alternating Laser ECxitation. This allows me to examine the complexity of the nucleosome in-situ.
Research
Nucleosome Core Particles (NCP) are responsible for tightly packing chromosomal DNA and they form an obstacle for regulatory proteins, polymerases, repair and remodeling proteins, all of which require access to DNA for their functionality. The local mechanical properties of DNA, believed to be sequence dependent, are known to play a significant role in formation of a stable NCP. Thus, a good understanding of DNA-related processes and their regulatory functions must include the understanding of affinities between the various nucleosome components, NCP association/dissociation mechanisms and NCP dynamics, and DNA interaction with DNA-bindingproteins, all of the above, in relation to DNA sequence.
Due to NCP heterogeneous, complexity and dynamic nature it is adequate to be studied by singlemolecule fluorescence techniques, which enable carful in-situ structural-dynamics and interaction investigation of DNA and proteins.
Nucleosome's structure

News:
05.2010- DNA is doubly labeled with donor Cy3B and acceptor ATTO 647N through PCR with labeled primers.
03.2011 reconstitution of nucleosome from 4 histones and doubly labeled DNA.
Doubly-labeled (dl) DNA with H4-
E63CATTO 647N octamer.
1. Only doubly-labeled DNA.
2. NCP with dlDNA and octamer without H4-ATTO 647N.
3. NCP with dlDNA and octamer containing one copy of
H4-ATTO 647N.
4. NCP with dlDNA and octamer containing two copies of
H4-ATTO 647N.

Cy3B -DNA with H4-E63CATTO 647N octamer.
1. Cy3B labeled DNA with octamer labeled with one ATTO 647N (ALEX 0.5, FRET
0.42)
2. Cy3B labeled DNA with octamer labeled with two
ATTO 647N (ALEX 0.33, FRET 0.65)
3. Cy3B labeled DNA with octamer labeled with one
ATTO 647N (ALEX 0.5, FRET 0.6)