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Dynamic twisting correlations in a model DNA with uniform torsion elastic constant
Author(s) -
Schurr J. Michael,
Fujimoto Bryant S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
biopolymers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 125
eISSN - 1097-0282
pISSN - 0006-3525
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0282(19990415)49:5<355::aid-bip2>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - torsion (gastropod) , chemistry , anisotropy , physics , dna , fluorescence anisotropy , molecular physics , quantum mechanics , fluorescence , anatomy , medicine , biochemistry
The extent to which the twisting motions of two separate subunits (base pairs) in an elastic filament are correlated is discussed in terms of the two‐point correlation function of their azimuthal angular displacements C (Δ, t ) ≡ 〈(ϕ m ( t ) − ϕ m (0))(ϕ n ( t ) − ϕ n (0))〉, where m,n are the sequential subunit indices and Δ = | m − n | is their absolute difference. An approximate expression is derived for C (Δ, t ) for an infinitely long model DNA from the analytical theory developed previously to treat the decay of the fluorescence polarization anisotropy of intercalated ethidium. C (Δ, t ) is numerically evaluated as a function of Δ for a range of times (20, 40, 60, 80, 100, and 120 ns) for a model DNA with a typical torsion elastic constant. By t = 120 ns, significant dynamic correlations are observed to extend over a domain (Δ) several hundred base pairs. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 49: 355–359, 1999