Terahertz absorption of DNA decamer duplex

This work combines experimental and theoretical approaches to investigate terahertz absorption spectra of the DNA formed by the sequence oligomer 5'-CCGGCGCCGG-3'. The three-dimensional structure of this self-complimentary DNA decamer has been well-studied, permitting us to perform direct identification of the low-frequency phonon modes associated with specific conformation and to conduct comprehensive computer simulations. Two modeling techniques, normal-mode analysis and nanosecond molecular dynamics with explicit solvent molecules, were employed to extract the low-frequency vibrational modes based on which the absorption spectra were calculated. The absorption spectra of the DNA decamer in aqueous solution were measured in the frequency range 10-25 cm(-1) using the terahertz Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Multiple well-resolved and reproducible resonance modes were observed. When calculated and experimental spectra were compared, the spectrum based on molecular dynamics simulations showed a better correlation with the experimental spectra than the one based on normal-mode analysis. These results demonstrate that there exist a considerable number of active low-frequency phonon modes in this short DNA duplex.