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DNA elastic nonlinearities as multiple smooth combinations of soft and hard linear springs
Author(s) -
Xiao H.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
zamm ‐ journal of applied mathematics and mechanics / zeitschrift für angewandte mathematik und mechanik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.449
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1521-4001
pISSN - 0044-2267
DOI - 10.1002/zamm.201200093
Subject(s) - elasticity (physics) , dna , nonlinear system , rigidity (electromagnetism) , nonlinear elasticity , linear elasticity , classical mechanics , statistical physics , mathematics , physics , biological system , chemistry , quantum mechanics , biology , thermodynamics , finite element method , biochemistry
DNA molecules perform biological functions via large elastic deformations and conformational changes in courses of their interactions with the cellular machinery. Adequate characterization of DNA elasticity is accordingly essential to an in‐depth understanding of DNA functions. Because of profound complexity, however, nonlinear features inherent in DNA elasticity remains to be uncovered in a direct, full sense and a unified, explicit characterization over the entire stretch range has been unavailable. Here it is suggested that DNA elastic nonlinearities may be understood by combining linear springs with high compliance and high rigidity. This finding uncovers the inherent geometrical feature in profound nonlinearities of DNA elasticity and leads to a unified, explicit force‐extension formula up to breaking. This formula reveals for the first time a complete set of characteristic constants for DNA elasticity and is shown to provide a unified characterization for both double‐ and single‐stranded DNA molecules. Results are presented in a straightforward, broad sense independent of any substructural details.