English

Dynamic phase transition in the conversion of B-DNA to Z-DNA

Soft Condensed Matter 2011-02-24 v2 Statistical Mechanics Biological Physics

Abstract

The long time dynamics of the conformational transition from B-DNA to Z-DNA is shown to undergo a dynamic phase transition. We obtained the dynamic phase diagram for the stability of the front separating B and Z. The instability in this front results in two split fronts moving with different velocities. Hence, depending on the system parameters a denatured state may develop dynamically eventhough it is thermodynamically forbidden. This resolves the current controversies on the transition mechanism of the B-DNA to Z-DNA.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1010.1723,
  title  = {Dynamic phase transition in the conversion of B-DNA to Z-DNA},
  author = {Jaya Maji and Somendra M. Bhattacharjee},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1010.1723},
  year   = {2011}
}

Comments

5 pages, 4 figures. New version with correction of typos, new references, minor modifications in Fig 2, 3. To appear in EPL