Structural correlations and melting of B-DNA fibers

Journal Article · Wed Jun 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics (Print)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVE.83.061923· OSTI ID:21554516

Wildes, Andrew ^[1]; Theodorakopoulos, Nikos ^[2]; Valle-Orero, Jessica ^[1]; Cuesta-Lopez, Santiago; Peyrard, Michel ^[3]; Garden, Jean-Luc ^[4]

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1. Institut Laue Langevin, B.P. 156, 6 rue Jules Horowitz, F-38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)
2. Theoretical and Physical Chemistry Institute, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Vasileos Constantinou 48, G-116 35 Athens (Greece)
3. Universite de Lyon, Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, Laboratoire de Physique CNRS UMR 5672, 46 allee d'Italie, F-69364 Lyon Cedex 7 (France)
4. Institut Neel, CNRS, Universite Joseph Fourier, 25 rue des Martyrs, B.P. 166, F-38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)

Despite numerous attempts, understanding the thermal denaturation of DNA is still a challenge due to the lack of structural data on the transition since standard experimental approaches to DNA melting are made in solution and do not provide spatial information. We report a measurement using neutron scattering from oriented DNA fibers to determine the size of the regions that stay in the double-helix conformation as the melting temperature is approached from below. A Bragg peak from the B form of DNA is observed as a function of temperature and its width and integrated intensity are measured. These results, complemented by a differential calorimetry study of the melting of B-DNA fibers as well as electrophoresis and optical observation data, are analyzed in terms of a one-dimensional mesoscopic model of DNA.

• OSTI ID: 21554516
• Journal Information: Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics (Print), Vol. 83, Issue 6; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.83.061923; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1539-3755
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
BRAGG CURVE
CALORIMETRY
DNA
ELECTROPHORESIS
MELTING
MELTING POINTS
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
SOLUTIONS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
COHERENT SCATTERING
DIAGRAMS
DIFFRACTION
DISPERSIONS
HOMOGENEOUS MIXTURES
INFORMATION
MIXTURES
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SCATTERING
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE