john-marko@northwestern.edu
(847) 467-1276
(847) 467-1380
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Professor Marko studies protein-DNA interactions, and chromosome structure and dynamics. A good deal of the lab's work uses biophysical methods, with
particular emphasis on micromanipulation of single DNA molecules and single
chromosomes. Recent projects in the lab have included studies of the
internal structure of eukaryote mitotic chromosomes, single-DNA studies of
DNA-folding proteins from bacteria, studies of DNA topoisomerases, and
studies of the dynamics of self-organization of chromatin using Xenopus egg
extracts. The lab also carries out theoretical modeling work related to
these experimental studies. Future directions for the lab include combining
fluorescence microscopy and force microscopy in experiments on DNA-protein
complexes and whole chromosomes, and in-vivo studies of coupling of
chromosome dynamics to gene expression.
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Micromanipulation studies of chromatin fibers in Xenopus egg extracts reveal ATP-dependent chromatin assembly dynamics. J. Yan, T.J. Maresca, D. Skoko, C.D. Adams, B. Xiao, M.O. Christensen, R. Heald, J.F. Marko. Mol. Biol. Cell, in press (2006).

Tn5 transposase loops DNA in the absence of Tn5 transposon end sequences. C.D. Adams, B. Schnurr, D. Skoko, J.F. Marko, W.S. Reznikoff. Mol. Micro. 62, 1558-1568 (2006).

Mechanism of chromosome compaction and looping by the E. coli nucleoid
protein Fis. D. Skoko, D. Yoo, H. Bai, B. Schnurr, J. Yan, S. M. McLeod, J. F. Marko,
and R. C. Johnson. J. Mol. Biol. 364, 777-798 (2006).

Defining characteristics of Tn5 Transposase non-specific DNA binding. M. Steiniger, C.D. Adams, J.F. Marko, W.S. Reznikoff. Nucleic Acids Res. 34(9):2820-32 (2006).

Proteolysis of Mitotic Chromosomes Induces Gradual and Anisotropic Decondensation Correlated with a Reduction of Elastic Modulus and Structural Sensitivity to Rarely Cutting Restriction Enzymes. L.H. Pope, C. Xiong, J.F. Marko. Mol. Biol. Cell 17, 104-13 (2006).

Low-Force DNA Condensation and Discontinuous High-Force Decondensation
Reveal a Loop-Stabilizing Function of the Protein Fis. D. Skoko, J. Yan, R.C. Johnson, J.F. Marko. Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 208101 (2005).

Single chromatin fiber stretching reveals physically distinct populations of disassembly events. L.H. Pope, M.L. Bennink, K.A. van Leijenhorst-Groener, D. Nikova, J. Greve, J.F. Marko. Biophys. J. 88, 3572-83 (2005).

Defining a Centromere-like Element in Bacillus subtilis by Identifying the
Binding Sites for the Chromosome-Anchoring Protein RacA. S. Ben-Yehuda, M. Fujita, X.S. Liu, B. Gorbatyuk, D. Skoko, J. Yan, J.F. Marko, J.S. Liu, P. Eichenberger, D.Z. Rudner, R. Losick. Molecular Cell 17, 773-82 (2005).

Micromechanical Analysis of the Binding of DNA-Bending Proteins HMGB1,
NHP6A, and HU Reveals Their Ability To Form Highly Stable DNA-Protein
Complexes. D. Skoko, B. Wong, R.C. Johnson, J.F. Marko. Biochemistry 43, 13867-74 (2004).

Mitotic chromosomes are chromatin networks without an internal protein
scaffold. M.G. Poirier, J.F. Marko, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 99, 15393-15397 (2002).

View all publications by publications by John F. Marko listed in the National Library of Medicine (PubMed).
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