Reentrant behavior of divalent-counterion-mediated DNA-DNA electrostatic interaction.

نویسندگان

  • Seil Lee
  • Tung T Le
  • Toan T Nguyen
چکیده

The problem of DNA-DNA interaction mediated by divalent counterions is studied using computer simulation. Although divalent counterions cannot condense free DNA molecules in solution, we show that if DNA configurational entropy is restricted, divalent counterions can cause DNA reentrant condensation similar to that caused by tri- or tetravalent counterions. DNA-DNA interaction is strongly repulsive at small or large counterion concentration and is negligible or slightly attractive for a concentration in between. Implications of our results to experiments of DNA ejection from bacteriophages are discussed. The quantitative result serves to understand electrostatic effects in other experiments involving DNA and divalent counterions.

برای دانلود رایگان متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

DNA condensation in two dimensions.

We have found that divalent electrolyte counterions common in biological cells (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Mn(2+) ) can condense anionic DNA molecules confined to two-dimensional cationic surfaces. DNA-condensing agents in vivo include cationic histones and polyamines spermidine and spermine with sufficiently high valence (Z) 3 or larger. In vitro studies show that electrostatic forces between DNA cha...

متن کامل

Surface Recognition and Complexations Between Synthetic Poly(ribo)nucleotides and Neutral Phospholipids and Their Implications in Lipofection

Thermodynamic features related to preparation and use of self-assemblies formed between multilamellar and unilamellar zwitterionic liposomes and polynucleotides with various conformation and sizes are presented. The divalent metal cation or surfactant-induced adsorption, aggregation and adhesion between single- and double-stranded polyribonucleotides and phosphatidylcholine vesicles was followe...

متن کامل

Surface Recognition and Complexations Between Synthetic Poly(ribo)nucleotides and Neutral Phospholipids and Their Implications in Lipofection

Thermodynamic features related to preparation and use of self-assemblies formed between multilamellar and unilamellar zwitterionic liposomes and polynucleotides with various conformation and sizes are presented. The divalent metal cation or surfactant-induced adsorption, aggregation and adhesion between single- and double-stranded polyribonucleotides and phosphatidylcholine vesicles was followe...

متن کامل

Grand-canonical simulation of DNA condensation with two salts, effect of divalent counterion size.

The problem of DNA- DNA interaction mediated by divalent counterions is studied using a generalized grand-canonical Monte-Carlo simulation for a system of two salts. The effect of the divalent counterion size on the condensation behavior of the DNA bundle is investigated. Experimentally, it is known that multivalent counterions have strong effect on the DNA condensation phenomenon. While tri- a...

متن کامل

Reentrant condensation of proteins in solution induced by multivalent counterions.

Negatively charged globular proteins in solution undergo a condensation upon adding trivalent counterions between two critical concentrations C and C, C <C. This reentrant condensation behavior above C is caused by short-ranged electrostatic interactions between multivalent cations and acidic residues, mechanistically different from the case of DNA. Small-angle x-ray scattering indicates a shor...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

عنوان ژورنال:
  • Physical review letters

دوره 105 24  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2010