Polyelectrolyte model of DNA

The present state of the theory of strongly charged polyelectrolytes of the DNA type is reviewed. An infinitely long, uniformly charged cylinder immersed in a dielectric continuum is adopted as a model of DNA. Small mobile ions are treated as impermeable spheres. A comparison of the results of rigorous and approximate theoretical approaches to the description of this model shows that the self-consistent-field method, i.e., the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, is a reliable basis for deriving quantitative results. The theory of polyelectrolytes based on a solution of the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation is used to analyze the role played by electrostatic interactions in conformational changes in DNA. Transitions of two types are considered: a helix-coil transition and a transition between the ordinary right-hand-helix DNA (the B form) and the recently discovered left-hand-helix (the Z form). In the latter case the theory predicts a nonmonotonic behavior of the difference between the free energies of these conformations as a function of the salt concentration. It also predicts the existence of a critical point of a B-Z equilibrium for ionic strengths in the physiological region.

PACS: 87.14.Gg, 87.15.Tt, 87.15.He, 87.15.Kg, 87.15.By, 82.35.Rs (all)
DOI: 10.1070/PU1987v030n04ABEH002833
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/1987/4/b/
Citation: Frank-Kamenetskii M D, Anshelevich V V, Lukashin A V "Polyelectrolyte model of DNA" Sov. Phys. Usp. 30 317–330 (1987)

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Оригинал: Франк-Каменецкий М Д, Аншелевич В В, Лукашин А В «Полиэлектролитная модель ДНК» УФН 151 595–618 (1987); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0151.198704b.0595

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