Orientational correlations in confined DNA

We study how the orientational correlations of DNA confined to nanochannels depend on the channel diameter D by means of Monte Carlo simulations and a mean-field theory. This theory describes DNA conformations in the experimentally relevant regime where the Flory-de Gennes theory does not apply. We...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics Vol. 86; no. 4 Pt 1; p. 041802
Main Authors Werner, E, Persson, F, Westerlund, F, Tegenfeldt, J O, Mehlig, B
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.10.2012
Subjects
Algorithms
Biophysics - methods
Biopolymers - chemistry
Computer Simulation
DNA - chemistry
Ions
Light
Models, Statistical
Molecular Conformation
Monte Carlo Method
Nanostructures - chemistry
Nanotechnology - methods
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Polymers - chemistry
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Summary:We study how the orientational correlations of DNA confined to nanochannels depend on the channel diameter D by means of Monte Carlo simulations and a mean-field theory. This theory describes DNA conformations in the experimentally relevant regime where the Flory-de Gennes theory does not apply. We show how local correlations determine the dependence of the end-to-end distance of the DNA molecule upon D. Tapered nanochannels provide the necessary resolution in D to study experimentally how the extension of confined DNA molecules depends upon D. Our experimental and theoretical results are in qualitative agreement.
ISSN:1550-2376
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevE.86.041802