Structure and mechanical characterization of DNA i-motif nanowires by molecular dynamics simulation.

ABSTRACT: We studied the structure and mechanical properties of DNA i-motif nanowires by means of molecular dynamics computer simulations. We built up to 230 nm-long nanowires, based on a repeated TC5 sequence from crystallographic data, fully relaxed and equilibrated in water. The unusual C⋅C(+) stacked structure, formed by four ssDNA strands arranged in an intercalated tetramer, is here fully characterized both statically and dynamically. By applying stretching, compression, and bending deformations with the steered molecular dynamics and umbrella sampling methods, we extract the apparent Young's and bending moduli of the nanowire, as well as estimates for the tensile strength and persistence length. According to our results, the i-motif nanowire shares similarities with structural proteins, as fa

SUBMITTER: Singh RP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3882457 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature