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Influence of DNA Type on the Physicochemical and Biological Properties of Polyplexes Based on Star Polymers Bearing Different Amino Functionalities. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15040894. [PMID: 36850178 PMCID: PMC9966362 DOI: 10.3390/polym15040894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The interactions of two star polymers based on poly (2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) with different types of nucleic acids are investigated. The star polymers differ only in their functionality to bear protonable amino or permanently charged quaternary ammonium groups, while DNAs of different molar masses, lengths and topologies are used. The main physicochemical parameters of the resulting polyplexes are determined. The influence of the polymer' functionality and length and topology of the DNA on the structure and properties of the polyelectrolyte complexes is established. The quaternized polymer is characterized by a high binding affinity to DNA and formed strongly positively charged, compact and tight polyplexes. The parent, non-quaternized polymer exhibits an enhanced buffering capacity and weakened polymer/DNA interactions, particularly upon the addition of NaCl, resulting in the formation of less compact and tight polyplexes. The cytotoxic evaluation of the systems indicates that they are sparing with respect to the cell lines studied including osteosarcoma, osteoblast and human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and exhibit good biocompatibility. Transfection experiments reveal that the non-quaternized polymer is effective at transferring DNA into cells, which is attributed to its high buffering capacity, facilitating the endo-lysosomal escape of the polyplex, the loose structure of the latter one and weakened polymer/DNA interactions, benefitting the DNA release.
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2
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Zhang CY, Zhang NH. Mechanical Constraint Effect on DNA Persistence Length. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27227769. [PMID: 36431871 PMCID: PMC9696218 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27227769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Persistence length is a significant criterion to characterize the semi-flexibility of DNA molecules. The mechanical constraints applied on DNA chains in new single-molecule experiments play a complex role in measuring DNA persistence length; however, there is a difficulty in quantitatively characterizing the mechanical constraint effects due to their complex interactions with electrostatic repulsions and thermal fluctuations. In this work, the classical buckling theory of Euler beam and Manning's statistical theories of electrostatic force and thermal fluctuation force are combined for an isolated DNA fragment to formulate a quantitative model, which interprets the relationship between DNA persistence length and critical buckling length. Moreover, this relationship is further applied to identify the mechanical constraints in different DNA experiments by fitting the effective length factors of buckled fragments. Then, the mechanical constraint effects on DNA persistence lengths are explored. A good agreement among the results by theoretical models, previous experiments, and present molecular dynamics simulations demonstrates that the new superposition relationship including three constraint-dependent terms can effectively characterize changes in DNA persistence lengths with environmental conditions, and the strong constraint-environment coupling term dominates the significant changes of persistence lengths; via fitting effective length factors, the weakest mechanical constraints on DNAs in bulk experiments and stronger constraints on DNAs in single-molecule experiments are identified, respectively. Moreover, the consideration of DNA buckling provides a new perspective to examine the bendability of short-length DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Yin Zhang
- Department of Mechanics, School of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Neng-Hui Zhang
- Department of Mechanics, School of Mechanics and Engineering Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Mechanics in Energy Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China
- Correspondence:
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Li Z, Lu J, Wei W, Tao M, Wang Z, Dai Z. Recent advances in electron manipulation of nanomaterials for photoelectrochemical biosensors. Chem Commun (Camb) 2022; 58:12418-12430. [DOI: 10.1039/d2cc04298c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This feature article discusses the recent advances and strategies of building photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensors from the perspective of regulating the electron transfer of nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zijun Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials of Jiangsu Province, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Jiarui Lu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials of Jiangsu Province, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Wanting Wei
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials of Jiangsu Province, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Min Tao
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials of Jiangsu Province, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Zhaoyin Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials of Jiangsu Province, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Zhihui Dai
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials of Jiangsu Province, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, P. R. China
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Symphony of the DNA flexibility and sequence environment orchestrates p53 binding to its responsive elements. Gene 2021; 803:145892. [PMID: 34375633 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2021.145892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The p53 tumor suppressor protein maintains the genome fidelity and integrity by modulating several cellular activities. It regulates these events by interacting with a heterogeneous set of response elements (REs) of regulatory genes in the background of chromatin configuration. At the p53-RE interface, both the base readout and torsional-flexibility of DNA account for high-affinity binding. However, DNA structure is an entanglement of a multitude of physicochemical features, both local and global structure should be considered for dealing with DNA-protein interactions. The goal of current research work is to conceptualize and abstract basic principles of p53-RE binding affinity as a function of structural alterations in DNA such as bending, twisting, and stretching flexibility and shape. For this purpose, we have exploited high throughput in-vitro relative affinity information of responsive elements and genome binding events of p53 from HT-Selex and ChIP-Seq experiments respectively. Our results confirm the role of torsional flexibility in p53 binding, and further, we reveal that DNA axial bending, stretching stiffness, propeller twist, and wedge angles are intimately linked to p53 binding affinity when compared to homeodomain, bZIP, and bHLH proteins. Besides, a similar DNA structural environment is observed in the distal sequences encompassing the actual binding sites of p53 cistrome genes. Additionally, we revealed that p53 cistrome target genes have unique promoter architecture, and the DNA flexibility of genomic sequences around REs in cancer and normal cell types display major differences. Altogether, our work provides a keynote on DNA structural features of REs that shape up the in-vitro and in-vivo high-affinity binding of the p53 transcription factor.
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Haladjova E, Dimitrov I, Davydova N, Todorova J, Ugrinova I, Forys A, Trzebicka B, Rangelov S. Cationic (Co)polymers Based on N-Substituted Polyacrylamides as Carriers of Bio-macromolecules: Polyplexes, Micelleplexes, and Spherical Nucleic Acidlike Structures. Biomacromolecules 2020; 22:971-983. [PMID: 33371665 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c01666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Novel N-substituted polyacrylamides bearing a cycle with two tertiary amines, poly(4-methyl-piperazin-1-yl)-propenone (PMPP) and its block copolymers with polylactide (PMPP-b-PLA), are synthesized and characterized. The homopolymers are water-soluble, whereas the block copolymers self-assemble in aqueous solution into a small size (Rh around 30 nm), are narrowly distributed, and exhibit core-shell micelles with good colloidal stability. Both the homopolymers and copolymer micelles are positively charged (ζ-potentials in the 13.8-17.6 mV range), which are employed for formation of electrostatic complexes with oppositely charged DNA. Complexes (polyplexes, micelleplexes, and spherical nucleic acidlike structures) in a wide range of N/P (amino to phosphate groups) ratios are prepared with short (115 bp) and long (2000 bp) DNA. The behavior and physicochemical properties of the resulting nanocarriers of DNA are strongly dependent on the polymer/polymer micelles' characteristics and the DNA chain length. All systems exhibit low cytotoxicity and good cellular uptake ability and show promise for gene delivery and regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emi Haladjova
- Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Ivaylo Dimitrov
- Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Nadejda Davydova
- A.N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelement Compounds of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Jordana Todorova
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Iva Ugrinova
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
| | - Aleksander Forys
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, Marie Curie-Sklodowskiej 34, Zabrze 41-819, Poland
| | - Barbara Trzebicka
- Centre of Polymer and Carbon Materials, Polish Academy of Sciences, Marie Curie-Sklodowskiej 34, Zabrze 41-819, Poland
| | - Stanislav Rangelov
- Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria
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Saran R, Wang Y, Li ITS. Mechanical Flexibility of DNA: A Quintessential Tool for DNA Nanotechnology. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 20:E7019. [PMID: 33302459 PMCID: PMC7764255 DOI: 10.3390/s20247019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The mechanical properties of DNA have enabled it to be a structural and sensory element in many nanotechnology applications. While specific base-pairing interactions and secondary structure formation have been the most widely utilized mechanism in designing DNA nanodevices and biosensors, the intrinsic mechanical rigidity and flexibility are often overlooked. In this article, we will discuss the biochemical and biophysical origin of double-stranded DNA rigidity and how environmental and intrinsic factors such as salt, temperature, sequence, and small molecules influence it. We will then take a critical look at three areas of applications of DNA bending rigidity. First, we will discuss how DNA's bending rigidity has been utilized to create molecular springs that regulate the activities of biomolecules and cellular processes. Second, we will discuss how the nanomechanical response induced by DNA rigidity has been used to create conformational changes as sensors for molecular force, pH, metal ions, small molecules, and protein interactions. Lastly, we will discuss how DNA's rigidity enabled its application in creating DNA-based nanostructures from DNA origami to nanomachines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Runjhun Saran
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V1V7, Canada;
| | - Yong Wang
- Department of Physics, Materials Science and Engineering Program, Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA;
| | - Isaac T. S. Li
- Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC V1V1V7, Canada;
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Xiao S, Liang H, Wales DJ. The Contribution of Backbone Electrostatic Repulsion to DNA Mechanical Properties is Length-Scale-Dependent. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:4829-4835. [PMID: 31380654 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b01960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The mechanics of DNA bending is crucially related to many vital biological processes. Recent experiments reported anomalous flexibility for DNA on short length scales, calling into doubt the validity of the harmonic worm-like chain (WLC) model in this region. In the present work, we systematically probed the bending dynamics of DNA at different length scales. In contrast to the remarkable deviation from the WLC description for DNA duplexes of less than three helical turns, our atomistic studies indicate that the neutral "null isomer" behaves in accord with the ideal elastic WLC and exhibits a uniform decay for the directional correlation of local bending. The backbone neutralization weakens the anisotropy in the effective bending preference and the helical periodicity of bend correlation that have previously been observed for normal DNA. The contribution of electrostatic repulsion to stretching cooperativity and the mechanical properties of DNA strands is length-scale-dependent: the phosphate neutralization increases the stiffness of DNA below two helical turns, but it is decreased for longer strands. We find that DNA rigidity is largely determined by base pair stacking, with electrostatic interactions contributing only around 10% of the total persistence length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiyan Xiao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P.R. China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
| | - Haojun Liang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P.R. China
| | - David J Wales
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom
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Wang Z, Liu J, Liu X, Shi X, Dai Z. Photoelectrochemical Approach to Apoptosis Evaluation via Multi-Functional Peptide- and Electrostatic Attraction-Guided Excitonic Response. Anal Chem 2018; 91:830-835. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b03195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoyin Wang
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Jia Liu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Xin Liu
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoyu Shi
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
| | - Zhihui Dai
- Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomedical Functional Materials and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Biofunctional Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
- Nanjing Normal University Center for Analysis and Testing, Nanjing, 210023, P. R. China
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9
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Sanchez R, Mackenzie SA. Information Thermodynamics of Cytosine DNA Methylation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0150427. [PMID: 26963711 PMCID: PMC4786201 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytosine DNA methylation (CDM) is a stable epigenetic modification to the genome and a widespread regulatory process in living organisms that involves multicomponent molecular machines. Genome-wide cytosine methylation patterning participates in the epigenetic reprogramming of a cell, suggesting that the biological information contained within methylation positions may be amenable to decoding. Adaptation to a new cellular or organismal environment also implies the potential for genome-wide redistribution of CDM changes that will ensure the stability of DNA molecules. This raises the question of whether or not we would be able to sort out the regulatory methylation signals from the CDM background (“noise”) induced by thermal fluctuations. Here, we propose a novel statistical and information thermodynamic description of the CDM changes to address the last question. The physical basis of our statistical mechanical model was evaluated in two respects: 1) the adherence to Landauer’s principle, according to which molecular machines must dissipate a minimum energy ε = kBT ln2 at each logic operation, where kB is the Boltzmann constant, and T is the absolute temperature and 2) whether or not the binary stretch of methylation marks on the DNA molecule comprise a language of sorts, properly constrained by thermodynamic principles. The study was performed for genome-wide methylation data from 152 ecotypes and 40 trans-generational variations of Arabidopsis thaliana and 93 human tissues. The DNA persistence length, a basic mechanical property altered by CDM, was estimated with values from 39 to 66.9 nm. Classical methylome analysis can be retrieved by applying information thermodynamic modelling, which is able to discriminate signal from noise. Our finding suggests that the CDM signal comprises a language scheme properly constrained by molecular thermodynamic principles, which is part of an epigenomic communication system that obeys the same thermodynamic rules as do current human communication systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robersy Sanchez
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RS); (SAM)
| | - Sally A. Mackenzie
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RS); (SAM)
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Dršata T, Lankaš F. Multiscale modelling of DNA mechanics. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2015; 27:323102. [PMID: 26194779 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/27/32/323102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical properties of DNA are important not only in a wide range of biological processes but also in the emerging field of DNA nanotechnology. We review some of the recent developments in modeling these properties, emphasizing the multiscale nature of the problem. Modern atomic resolution, explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations have contributed to our understanding of DNA fine structure and conformational polymorphism. These simulations may serve as data sources to parameterize rigid base models which themselves have undergone major development. A consistent buildup of larger entities involving multiple rigid bases enables us to describe DNA at more global scales. Free energy methods to impose large strains on DNA, as well as bead models and other approaches, are also briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomáš Dršata
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nám. 2, 166 10 Prague, Czech Republic. Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University Prague, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague, Czech Republic
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11
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Jia F, Despax S, Münch JP, Hébraud P. Flexibility of short ds-DNA intercalated by a dipyridophenazine ligand. Front Chem 2015; 3:25. [PMID: 25932461 PMCID: PMC4399336 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2015.00025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We use Förster Resonant Energy Transfer (FRET) in order to measure the increase of flexibility of short ds-DNA induced by the intercalation of dipyridophenazine (dppz) ligand in between DNA base pairs. By using a DNA double strand fluorescently labeled at its extremities, it is shown that the end-to-end length increase of DNA due to the intercalation of one dppz ligand is smaller than the DNA base pair interdistance. This may be explained either by a local bending of the DNA or by an increase of its flexibility. The persistence length of the formed DNA/ligand is evaluated. The described structure may have implications in the photophysical damages induced by the complexation of DNA by organometallic molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuchao Jia
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Strasbourg Strasbourg, France ; Department of Physics, School of Science, Shangdong University Zibo, China
| | - Stéphane Despax
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Strasbourg Strasbourg, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Münch
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Strasbourg Strasbourg, France
| | - Pascal Hébraud
- Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, University of Strasbourg Strasbourg, France
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