Structural responses of DNA-DDAB films to varying hydration and temperature.

ABSTRACT: The structure of a DNA-dimethyldidodecylammonium bromide (DDAB) film was recently described to undergo a distinctive transition in response to the water content in the surrounding environment. The existence, preparation, and basic properties of DNA-surfactant films have been known in the literature for some time. Here, we describe the structural response of DNA-DDAB films to environmental changes, particularly temperature and humidity, in greater detail revealing new structural states. We can direct the lamellar structure of the film into three distinct states--double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) paired with an interdigitated bilayer of DDAB (bDDAB), single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) with monolayer of DDAB (mDDAB), and ssDNA with bDDAB. Both temperature and humidity cause the molecules composing the lam

SUBMITTER: Neumann T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2895560 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature