All-or-none (or something in between) transition of DNA
| Autor: | Yoshikastu Hayashi, Yoshikatsu Hayashi |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2004 |
| Předmět: |
Quantitative Biology::Biomolecules
Materials science General Physics and Astronomy Nanotechnology Single chain Ion Condensed Matter::Soft Condensed Matter chemistry.chemical_compound Discontinuous transition chemistry Chemical physics Dna compaction Physical Sciences Surface charge DNA Entropy (order and disorder) |
| Zdroj: | Europhysics Letters; 68(4), pp 536-542 (2004) |
| ISSN: | 1286-4854 0295-5075 |
| DOI: | 10.1209/epl/i2004-10246-x |
| Popis: | DNA compaction can be caused by multivalent ions as condensing agents. Both discontinuous (all-or-none) and continuous (pearl-necklace structure) transitions have been observed in experiments as the concentration of the condensing agent was increased. We have investigated the DNA transition by analytical calculations in the infinite-chain limit. A mechanism for pearl-necklace structures could be a combinatorial entropy term, which favours a mixture of globules and coils in a single chain. However, when a surface term is taken into account, it gives rise to a discontinuous transition. We also consider the role of surface charges on the globule. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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