Related papers: Helicoidal model for DNA opening
Advances in DNA nanotechnology have stimulated the search for simple motifs that can be used to control the properties of DNA nanostructures. One such motif, which has been used extensively in structures such as polyhedral cages,…
The dynamics of individual DNA molecules in semidilute solutions undergoing planar extensional flow is simulated using a multi-particle Brownian dynamics algorithm, which incorporates hydrodynamic and excluded volume interactions in the…
We calculate the spectrum of torsional vibrations of a double-stranded structure that models the double helix of the DNA. We come to the conclusion that within the framework of the model elementary excitations may display an asymmetry as…
We predict the existence of a totally new class of phases in weakly coupled, three-dimensional stacks of two-dimensional (2D) XY-models. These ``sliding phases'' behave essentially like decoupled, independent 2D XY-models with precisely…
The folding of biological macromolecules is a fundamental process of which we lack a full comprehension. Mostly studied in proteins and RNA, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) also folds, at physiological salt conditions, by forming non-specific…
DNA helicases are molecular motors that use the energy from ATP hydrolysis to move along DNA, promoting the unwinding or rewinding of the double helix. Here, we use magnetic and optical tweezers to track the motion of three helicases, gp41,…
We investigate irreversibility and dissipation in single molecules that cooperatively fold/unfold in a two state manner under the action of mechanical force. We apply path thermodynamics to derive analytical expressions for the average…
Multistep denaturation in a short circular DNA molecule is analyzed by a mesoscopic Hamiltonian model which accounts for the helicoidal geometry. Computation of melting profiles by the path integral method suggests that stacking…
We have studied the separation of a double stranded DNA (dsDNA), which is driven either by the temperature or force. By monitoring the probability of opening of entire base pairs along the chain, we show that the opening of a dsDNA depends…
Analysis of single-molecule micromanipulation experiments of DNA unzipping process shows some features of the force-distance curve, namely two consequent plateaus in the area of ${\sim}12-14pN$ dependent on nucleotide sequence structure, as…
We consider an elastic rod model for twisted DNA in the plectonemic regime. The molecule is treated as an impenetrable tube with an effective, adjustable radius. The model is solved analytically and we derive formulas for the contact…
We develop a continuum elastic approach to examining the bending mechanics of semiflexible filaments with a local internal degree of freedom that couples to the bending modulus. We apply this model to study the nonlinear mechanics of a…
Mechanical properties of nucleic acids play an important role in many biological processes which often involve physical deformations of these molecules. At sufficiently long length scales (say above $\sim 20-30$ base pairs) the mechanics of…
A simple model of DNA based on two interacting polymers has been used to study the unzipping of a double stranded DNA subjected to a periodic force. We propose a dynamical transition, where without changing the physiological condition, it…
DNA torsion dynamics is essential in the transcription process; simple models for it have been proposed by several authors, in particular Yakushevich (Y model). These are strongly related to models of DNA separation dynamics such as the one…
In the course of various biological processes, specific DNA-binding proteins must find a particular target sequence/protein or a damaged site on the DNA efficiently. DNA-binding proteins perform this task based on diffusion. Yet,…
We introduce an extended version of oxDNA, a coarse-grained model of DNA designed to capture the thermodynamic, structural and mechanical properties of single- and double-stranded DNA. By including explicit major and minor grooves, and by…
We develop a propagating front analysis, in terms of a local probability of zipping, for the helicase activity of opening up a double stranded DNA (dsDNA). In a fixed-distance ensemble (conjugate to the fixed-force ensemble) the front…
We examine the elastic model of short circular DNA. We obtain analytic expressions for configurations, elastic energy, twist and linking number of our solutions. We find the onset of the plectonemic transition. We suggest ways to use our…
Intracellular positive ions neutralise negative charges on the phosphates of a DNA strand conferring greater strength on the hydrogen bonds that connect complementary strands into a double helix and so confer enhanced stability. Beyond a…