Supercoiling and denaturation of DNA loops |
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Authors: | Liverpool T B Harris S A Laughton C A |
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Institution: | Department of Mathematics, University of Bristol, University Walk, Bristol, UK. t.liverpool@bristol.ac.uk |
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Abstract: | We study the statistical mechanics of small DNA loops emphasizing the competition between elasticity, supercoiling, and denaturation. Motivated by recent experiments and atomistic molecular dynamics simulation, we propose a new coarse-grained phenomenological model of DNA. We extend the classical elastic rod models to include the possibility of denaturation and nonlinear twist elasticity. Using this coarse-grained model, we obtain a phase diagram in terms of fractional overtwist and loop size that can be used to rationalize a number of experimental results which have also been confirmed by atomistic simulations. |
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