Experimental and Numerical Studies on B-DNA Overstretching Transition in Presence of Sodium Ions at Physiological Temperature

2007 ◽  
Vol 121-123 ◽  
pp. 1093-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Xia Fu ◽  
Chan Ghee Koh ◽  
Hu Chen ◽  
Chwee Teck Lim
Keyword(s):  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Electrostatic Energy ◽  
Stacking Interactions ◽  
Base Stacking ◽  
Physiological Temperature ◽  
Dna Molecule ◽  
Metropolis Monte Carlo ◽  
Dna Double Helix ◽  
Transition Force

In this paper, the effects of Na+ concentration on the overstretching transition of B-DNA molecule at physiological temperature are studied by both experimental and numerical methods. Using optical tweezers, the relationship of external force and relative extension is obtained by stretching single B-DNA molecule at 37°C. As the concentration increases from 0.909mM to 909mM, the overstretching transition force increases from 65.65 ± 1.2pN to 43.07 ± 1.2pN. An analytical expression is derived, which shows that overstretching transition force is linear with the natural logarithm of salt concentration. Based on a previous model, a three-dimensional model is proposed herein and solved by Metropolis Monte Carlo method. The bending deformation of DNA backbones, cooperativity of base-stacking interactions, electrostatic interactions, and spatial effects of DNA double helix structure are taken into account. Our key contribution is that the electrostatic energy is explicitly given as a function of folding angle and Na+ concentration. A new parameter is also introduced to account for the cooperativity of base-stacking interactions. The numerical results of this model are in good agreement with our experimental results.

scholarly journals Hydrophobic catalysis and a potential biological role of DNA unstacking induced by environment effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (35) ◽  
pp. 17169-17174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bobo Feng ◽  
Robert P. Sosa ◽  
Anna K. F. Mårtensson ◽  
Kai Jiang ◽  
Alex Tong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ethylene Glycol ◽  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Hydrophobic Interactions ◽  
Persistence Length ◽  
Poly Ethylene Glycol ◽  
Glycol Ethers ◽  
Base Stacking ◽  
Poly Ethylene ◽  
Dna Double Helix

Hydrophobic base stacking is a major contributor to DNA double-helix stability. We report the discovery of specific unstacking effects in certain semihydrophobic environments. Water-miscible ethylene glycol ethers are found to modify structure, dynamics, and reactivity of DNA by mechanisms possibly related to a biologically relevant hydrophobic catalysis. Spectroscopic data and optical tweezers experiments show that base-stacking energies are reduced while base-pair hydrogen bonds are strengthened. We propose that a modulated chemical potential of water can promote “longitudinal breathing” and the formation of unstacked holes while base unpairing is suppressed. Flow linear dichroism in 20% diglyme indicates a 20 to 30% decrease in persistence length of DNA, supported by an increased flexibility in single-molecule nanochannel experiments in poly(ethylene glycol). A limited (3 to 6%) hyperchromicity but unaffected circular dichroism is consistent with transient unstacking events while maintaining an overall average B-DNA conformation. Further information about unstacking dynamics is obtained from the binding kinetics of large thread-intercalating ruthenium complexes, indicating that the hydrophobic effect provides a 10 to 100 times increased DNA unstacking frequency and an “open hole” population on the order of 10−2 compared to 10−4 in normal aqueous solution. Spontaneous DNA strand exchange catalyzed by poly(ethylene glycol) makes us propose that hydrophobic residues in the L2 loop of recombination enzymes RecA and Rad51 may assist gene recombination via modulation of water activity near the DNA helix by hydrophobic interactions, in the manner described here. We speculate that such hydrophobic interactions may have catalytic roles also in other biological contexts, such as in polymerases.

Intrinsic Stacking Interactions of Natural and Artificial Nucleobases

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drew P. Harding ◽  
Laura J. Kingsley ◽  
Glen Spraggon ◽  
Steven Wheeler
Keyword(s):  
Gas Phase ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Density Functional ◽  
Molecular Descriptors ◽  
Stacking Interactions ◽  
Interaction Energies ◽  
Functional Theory ◽  
Binding Partner ◽  
Heavy Atoms ◽  
Wide Range

The intrinsic (gas-phase) stacking energies of natural and artificial nucleobases were explored using density functional theory (DFT) and correlated ab initio methods. Ranking the stacking strength of natural nucleobase dimers revealed a preference in binding partner similar to that seen from experiments, namely G > C > A > T > U. Decomposition of these interaction energies using symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) showed that these dispersion dominated interactions are modulated by electrostatics. Artificial nucleobases showed a similar stacking preference for natural nucleobases and were also modulated by electrostatic interactions. A robust predictive multivariate model was developed that quantitively predicts the maximum stacking interaction between natural and a wide range of artificial nucleobases using molecular descriptors based on computed electrostatic potentials (ESPs) and the number of heavy atoms. This model should find utility in designing artificial nucleobase analogs that exhibit stacking interactions comparable to those of natural nucleobases. Further analysis of the descriptors in this model unveil the origin of superior stacking abilities of certain nucleobases, including cytosine and guanine.

scholarly journals The Face-to-Face σ-Hole···σ-Hole Stacking Interactions: Structures, Energies, and Nature

Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 877
Author(s):  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Weizhou Wang
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Chemical ◽  
Noncovalent Interactions ◽  
Electrostatic Energy ◽  
Stacking Interactions ◽  
Energy Component ◽  
Stacking Interaction ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
The Face ◽  
Π Stacking Interaction ◽  
Induction Energy

The existence of the π···π stacking interaction is well-known. Similarly, it is reasonable to assume the existence of the σ-hole···σ-hole stacking interaction. In this work, the structures, energies, and nature of the face-to-face σ-hole···σ-hole stacking interactions in the crystal structures have been investigated in detail by the quantum chemical calculations. The calculated results clearly show that the face-to-face σ-hole···σ-hole stacking interactions exist and have unique properties, although their strengths are not very significant. The energy component analysis reveals that, unlike many other dispersion-dominated noncovalent interactions in which the induction energies always play minor roles for their stabilities, for the face-to-face σ-hole···σ-hole stacking interaction the contribution of the induction energy to the total attractive energy is close to or even larger than that of the electrostatic energy. The structures, energies, and nature of the face-to-face σ-hole···σ-hole stacking interactions confined in small spaces have also been theoretically simulated. One of the important findings is that encapsulation of the complex bound by the face-to-face σ-hole···σ-hole stacking interaction can tune the electronic properties of the container.

scholarly journals Bending and Base-Stacking Interactions in Double-Stranded DNA

1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (22) ◽  
pp. 4560-4563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhou Haijun ◽  
Zhang Yang ◽  
Ou-Yang Zhong-can
Keyword(s):  
Stacking Interactions ◽  
Base Stacking ◽  
Double Stranded Dna

scholarly journals Determining Trap Compliances, Microsphere Size Variations, and Response Linearities in Single DNA Molecule Elasticity Measurements with Optical Tweezers

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youbin Mo ◽  
Mounir Fizari ◽  
Kristina Koharchik ◽  
Douglas E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Optical Tweezers ◽  
Dna Elasticity ◽  
Dna Stretching ◽  
Dna Molecule ◽  
Scale Factors ◽  
Length Measurements ◽  
Microsphere Size ◽  
Force Range ◽  
Single Dna Molecule ◽  
Displacement Measurements

We previously introduced the use of DNA molecules for calibration of biophysical force and displacement measurements with optical tweezers. Force and length scale factors can be determined from measurements of DNA stretching. Trap compliance can be determined by fitting the data to a nonlinear DNA elasticity model, however, noise/drift/offsets in the measurement can affect the reliability of this determination. Here we demonstrate a more robust method that uses a linear approximation for DNA elasticity applied to high force range (25–45 pN) data. We show that this method can be used to assess how small variations in microsphere sizes affect DNA length measurements and demonstrate methods for correcting for these errors. We further show that these measurements can be used to check assumed linearities of system responses. Finally, we demonstrate methods combining microsphere imaging and DNA stretching to check the compliance and positioning of individual traps.

scholarly journals Phase Behavior of Melts of Diblock-Copolymers with One Charged Block

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey A. Gavrilov ◽  
Alexander V. Chertovich ◽  
Igor I. Potemkin
Keyword(s):  
Phase Diagram ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Diblock Copolymers ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Microphase Separation ◽  
Dissipative Particle Dynamics ◽  
Homogeneous Structure ◽  
Electrostatic Energy ◽  
Ordered Structures

In this work, we investigated the phase behavior of melts of block-copolymers with one charged block by means of dissipative particle dynamics with explicit electrostatic interactions. We assumed that all the Flory–Huggins χ parameters were equal to 0. We showed that the charge- correlation attraction solely can cause microphase separation with a long-range order; a phase diagram was constructed by varying the volume fraction of the uncharged block and the electrostatic interaction parameter λ (dimensionless Bjerrum length). The obtained phase diagram was compared to the phase diagram of “equivalent” neutral diblock-copolymers with the non-zero χ-parameter between the beads of different blocks. The neutral copolymers were constructed by grafting the counterions to the corresponding co-ions of the charged block with further switching off the electrostatic interactions. Surprisingly, the differences between these phase diagrams are rather subtle; the same phases in the same order are observed, and the positions of the order-disorder transition ODT points are similar if the λ-parameter is considered as an “effective” χ-parameter. Next, we studied the position of the ODT for lamellar structure depending on the chain length N. It turned out that while for the uncharged diblock copolymer the product χcrN was almost independent of N, for the diblock copolymers with one charged block we observed a significant increase in λcrN upon increasing N. This can be attributed to the fact that the counterion entropy prevents the formation of ordered structures, and its influence is more pronounced for longer chains since they undergo the transition to ordered structures at smaller values of λ, when the electrostatic energy becomes comparable to kbT. This was supported by studying the ODT in diblock-copolymers with charged blocks and counterions cross-linked to the charged monomer units. The ODT for such systems was observed at significantly lower values of λ, with the difference being more pronounced at longer chain lengths N. The fact that the microphase separation is observed even at zero Flory–Huggins parameter can be used for the creation of “high-χ” copolymers: The incorporation of charged groups (for example, ionic liquids) can significantly increase the segregation strength. The diffusion of counterions in the obtained ordered structures was studied and compared to the case of a system with the same number of charged groups but a homogeneous structure; the diffusion coefficient along the lamellar plane was found to be higher than in any direction in the homogeneous structure.

scholarly journals An accurate single descriptor for ion–π interactions

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1036-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhangyun Liu ◽  
Zheng Chen ◽  
Jinyang Xi ◽  
Xin Xu
Keyword(s):  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Binding Energies ◽  
Electrostatic Energy ◽  
Π Interactions ◽  
Practical Strategy ◽  
Leading Term ◽  
Level Method ◽  
High Level

Abstract Non-covalent interactions between ions and π systems play an important role in molecular recognition, catalysis and biology. To guide the screen and design for artificial hosts, catalysts and drug delivery, understanding the physical nature of ion–π complexes via descriptors is indispensable. However, even with multiple descriptors that contain the leading term of electrostatic and polarized interactions, the quantitative description for the binding energies (BEs) of ion–π complexes is still lacking because of the intrinsic shortcomings of the commonly used descriptors. Here, we have shown that the impartment of orbital details into the electrostatic energy (coined as OEE) makes an excellent single descriptor for BEs of not only spherical, but also multiply-shaped, ion–π systems, highlighting the importance of an accurate description of the electrostatic interactions. Our results have further demonstrated that OEEs from a low-level method could be calibrated to BEs from a high-level method, offering a powerful practical strategy for an accurate prediction of a set of ion–π interactions.

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