Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) as a tool to study DNA condensation with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB).

The presented data show that the FCS technique can be used to detect the DNA condensation process induced with the cationic compound hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HTAB). We have shown that HTAB induces plasmid condensation upon interaction with it. Condensation can be considered to be complete when the diffusion constant reaches its maximum. The HTAB induced increase in diffusion time does not correlate well with the changes observed when count rate and particle number are considered. This observation contradicts data published for another cationic agent, spermine. This apparent discrepancy proves that the mechanisms of interaction between these compounds and DNA are different. Consequently, the different characters of the plots of count rate, diffusion time, and particle number versus condensing agent concentration can be a source of additional information about the nature of cationic compound-DNA interaction.