Cheng K, Zou C. Electromagnetic field effect on separation of nucleotide sequences and unwinding of a double helix during DNA replication.
Med Hypotheses 2005;
66:148-53. [PMID:
16140467 DOI:
10.1016/j.mehy.2005.07.007]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2005] [Accepted: 07/04/2005] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Our previous pre-clinic experimental results have showed that the bacterium infection can be suppressed and the epithelialization can be enhanced by the externally applied rectangular pulsed electrical current stimulation (RPECS). The results are clinically significant for patients, especially for those difficult patients whose skin wounds need long periods to heal. However, the results also raise questions: How does the RPECS accelerate the epithelium cell proliferation? What is the relationship among the bacterium infection, the epithelialization and the RPECS? To answer these questions, we have previously modeled mitosis and cytokinesis mechanisms for animal cells and amitosis for bacteria at a cellular level and in a view of physics. In this paper, we model the separation of nucleotide sequences and the unwinding of a double helix during DNA replication at a molecular level and also in wild types of cells. Firstly, we define a new concept of nucleotide (NT) electromagnetic field (EMF) box (sequence) which carries genetic information: The continuous NT EMF boxes compose a nucleotide strand. Then, we hypothesize the symmetry, repulsion and attraction of NT EMF boxes: If a pair of NT EMF boxes are (quasi) mirror or complementary symmetric about a plane (curve) or point, they repulse or attract from each other because there is a repulsive or attractive EMF force between them. Our models suggest, the repulsive EMF force from children DNA strands simultaneously separates the children DNA strands, splits the hydrogen bonds of parental base pairs, and unwinds the parental double helix while DNA polymerases are synchronously synthesizing the new children DNA strands. To understand the mechanism of epithelialization enhanced with the externally applied RPECS at a molecular level, we hypothesize that the normal separation of nucleotide sequences and unwinding of a double helix during DNA replication could be suppressed in the bacteria but not in the epithelium cells because: (a) the spontaneous EMF in the epithelium could be 1000 times stronger than that in bacteria; (b) the epithelium cells have one more non-conducting envelope (nuclear membrane) to protect the normal separation and unwinding; (c) based on our previous experimental data, the RPECS amount received by the bacteria are three times as much as the amount the epithelium cells receive. Therefore, the epithelium cellular proliferation may be directly, as well as indirectly (e.g., somatic reflex) accelerated by the RPECS.
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