What do we know about DNA mechanics so far?

Abhishek Aggarwal; Supriyo Naskar; Anil Kumar Sahoo; Santosh Mogurampelly; Ashok Garai; Prabal K Maiti

doi:10.1016/j.sbi.2020.05.010

What do we know about DNA mechanics so far?

Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2020 Oct:64:42-50. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.05.010. Epub 2020 Jun 29.

Authors

Abhishek Aggarwal¹, Supriyo Naskar¹, Anil Kumar Sahoo¹, Santosh Mogurampelly², Ashok Garai³, Prabal K Maiti⁴

Affiliations

¹ Center for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
² Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342037, India.
³ Department of Physics, The LNM Institute of Information Technology, Sumel, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302031, India.
⁴ Center for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India. Electronic address: maiti@iisc.ac.in.

PMID: 32615513
DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2020.05.010

Abstract

The DNA molecule, apart from carrying the genetic information, plays a crucial role in a variety of biological processes and finds applications in drug design, nanotechnology and nanoelectronics. The molecule undergoes significant structural transitions under the influence of forces due to physiological and non-physiological environments. Here, we summarize the insights gained from simulations and single-molecule experiments on the structural transitions and mechanics of DNA under force, as well as its elastic properties, in various environmental conditions, and discuss appealing future directions.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

DNA* / genetics
Mechanical Phenomena
Nanotechnology*

Substances

DNA