Related papers: Modeling DNA Dynamics by Path Integrals
Motivated by the wide ranging experimental results on the conductivity of DNA, we have investigated extraordinary configurations and chemical environments in which DNA might become a true molecular wire, perticularly from enhanced…
Molecular recognition between two double stranded (ds) DNA with homologous sequences may not seem compatible with the B-DNA structure because the sequence information is hidden when it is used for joining the two strands. Nevertheless, it…
The issue of the nucleation and slow closure mechanisms of non superhelical stress-induced denaturation bubbles in DNA is tackled using coarse-grained MetaDynamics and Brownian simulations. A minimal mesoscopic model is used where the…
Measurements of electron transfer rates as well as of charge transport characteristics in DNA produced a number of seemingly contradictory results, ranging from insulating behaviour to the suggestion that DNA is an efficient medium for…
The model of the deformation of DNA macromolecule is developed with the accounting of two types of components of deformation: external and internal. External components describe the bend, twist and stretch of the double helix. The internal…
The understanding of mechanisms that control epigenetic changes is an important research area in modern functional biology. Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation are in general very stable over many cell divisions. DNA…
The local mechanical properties of DNA are believed to play an important role in their biological functions and DNA-based nanomechanical devices. Using a simple sphere-tip compression system, the local radial mechanical properties of DNA…
Various charge migration mechanisms in the DNA are studied within the framework of the Peyrard-Bishop-Holstein model which has been widely used to address charge dynamics in this macromolecule. To analyze these mechanisms we consider…
Cytoskeletal crowding plays a key role in the diffusion of DNA molecules through the cell, acting as a barrier to effective intracellular transport and conformational stability required for such processes as transfection, viral infection,…
The macroscopic curvature of double helical DNA induced by regularly repeated adenine tracts is well-known but still puzzling. Its physical origin remains controversial even though it is perhaps the best-documented sequence modulation of…
Charge diffusion through desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a physico-chemical phenomenon that on the one hand is being explored for technological purposes, on the other hand is applied by nature for various informational processes in life.…
When pulled along its axis, double-stranded DNA elongates abruptly at a force of about 65 pN. Two physical pictures have been developed to describe this overstretched state. The first proposes that strong forces induce a phase transition to…
The two strands of the DNA double helix can be `unzipped' by application of 15 pN force. We analyze the dynamics of unzipping and rezipping, for the case where the molecule ends are separated and re-approached at constant velocity. For…
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism whose important role in development has been widely recognized. This epigenetic modification results in heritable changes in gene expression not encoded by the DNA sequence. The underlying…
Molecular motor proteins form the basis of cellular dynamics. Recently, notable efforts have led to the creation of their DNA-based mimics, which can carry out complex nanoscale motion. However, such functional analogues have not yet been…
The macroscopic curvature induced in the double helical B-DNA by regularly repeated adenine tracts (A-tracts) plays an exceptional role in structural studies of DNA because this effect presents the most well-documented example of sequence…
Dynamics of topological solitons describing open states in the DNA double helix are studied in the frameworks of the model which takes into account asymmetry of the helix. It is shown that three types of topological solitons can occur in…
Literature data on the properties of DNA open states are reviewed and analyzed. These states are formed as a result of strong DNA fluctuations and have a great impact on a number of biochemical processes; among them is charge transfer in…
The formation of bubble defects of the double stranded DNA is treated according to the Lifshits theory of disordered chains. A molecule of the DNA is modelled on a harmonic lattice with nearest neighbour interaction, elastic constants being…
Plectonemes are intertwined helically looped domains which form when a DNA molecule is supercoiled, i.e. over- or under-wounded. They are ubiquitous in cellular DNA and their physical properties have attracted significant interest both from…