The temperature dependence of the helical twist of DNA.

ABSTRACT: DNA is the carrier of all cellular genetic information and increasingly used in nanotechnology. Quantitative understanding and optimization of its functions requires precise experimental characterization and accurate modeling of DNA properties. A defining feature of DNA is its helicity. DNA unwinds with increasing temperature, even for temperatures well below the melting temperature. However, accurate quantitation of DNA unwinding under external forces and a microscopic understanding of the corresponding structural changes are currently lacking. Here we combine single-molecule magnetic tweezers measurements with atomistic molecular dynamics and coarse-grained simulations to obtain a comprehensive view of the temperature dependence of DNA twist. Experimentally, we find that DNA twist change

SUBMITTER: Kriegel F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6125625 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature