Related papers: A simple model for DNA denaturation
We present a critique and extension of the mean-field approach to the mechanical pulling transition in bound polymer systems. Our model is motivated by the theoretically and experimentally important examples of adsorbed polymers and…
The Poland-Scheraga model is a celebrated model for the denaturation transition of DNA, which has been widely used in the bio-physical literature to study, and investigated by mathematicians. In the original model, only opposite bases of…
The closure dynamics of a pre-equilibrated DNA denaturation bubble is studied using both Brownian dynamics simulations and an analytical approach. The numerical model consists of two semi-flexible interacting single strands (ssDNA) and a…
The denaturation transition which takes place in circular DNA is analyzed by extending the Poland-Scheraga model to include the winding degrees of freedom. We consider the case of a homopolymer whereby the winding number of the double…
The strong bending of polymers is poorly understood. We propose a general quantitative framework of polymer bending that includes both the weak and strong bending regimes on the same footing, based on a single general physical principle. As…
We analyse the effects of the environment (solvent quality, presence of extended structures - crowded environment) that may have impact on the order of the transition between denaturated and bounded DNA states and lead to changes in the…
While stretching of most polymer chains leads to rather featureless force-extension diagrams, some, notably DNA, exhibit non-trivial behavior with a distinct plateau region. Here we propose a unified theory that connects force-extension…
Experimental studies of the thermal denaturation of DNA yield a strong indication that the transition is first order. This transition has been theoretically studied since the early sixties, mostly within an approach in which the microscopic…
The distance distribution between complementary base pairs of the two strands of a DNA molecule is studied near the melting transition. Scaling arguments are presented for a generalized Poland-Scheraga type model which includes…
Chain-like macromolecules in solution, whether biological or synthetic, transform from a spatially extended conformation to a compact one upon change of temperature or solvent qualities. This sharp transition plays a key role in various…
The thermodynamical properties of heterogeneous DNA sequences are computed by path integral techniques applied to a nonlinear model Hamiltonian. The base pairs relative displacements are interpreted as time dependent paths whose amplitudes…
When mixed together, DNA and polyaminoamide (PAMAM) dendrimers form fibers that condense into a compact structure. We use optical tweezers to pull condensed fibers and investigate the decondensation transition by measuring force-extension…
The Poland-Scheraga model describes the denaturation transition of two complementary - in particular, equally long - strands of DNA, and it has enjoyed a remarkable success both for quantitative modeling purposes and at a more theoretical…
We investigate a field theory for RNA-like polymers with periodic base sequence GCGCG..., where only single-strands aligned in the same direction form double strands. The field theory is derived from a lattice model that incorporates…
The distance-resolved effective interaction potential between two parallel DNA molecules is calculated by computer simulations with explicit tetravalent counterions and monovalent salt. Adding counterions first yields an attractive minimum…
Charge transfer in a DNA duplex chain is studied by constructing a system with virtual electrodes connected at the ends of each DNA strand. The systeym is described by the tight-binding model and its transport is analyzed by the transfer…
The closure of long equilibrated denaturation bubbles in DNA is studied using Brownian dynamics simulations. A minimal mesoscopic model is used where the double-helix is made of two interacting bead-spring freely rotating strands, with a…
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…
Single molecule experiments on B-DNA stretching have revealed one or two structural transitions, when increasing the external force. They are characterized by a sudden increase of DNA contour length and a decrease of the bending rigidity.…
We propose a new simple model for DNA denaturation bases on the pendulum model of Englander\cite{A1} and the microscopic model of Peyrard {\it et al.},\cite{A3} so called "combined model". The main parameters of our model are: the coupling…