1996/10/15 by Boris Fain, Joseph Rudnick, Stellan Östlund +1 · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Protein Structure and Dynamics #cond-mat.soft #q-bio
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreve.55.7364
5 pages, RevTeX; 6 postscript figures
arxiv created 1996/10/15 · openalex publication_date 1997/06/01 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We examine the conformations of a model for underwound and overwound DNA. The molecule is represented as a cylindrically symmetric elastic string subjected to a stretching force and to constraints corresponding to a specification of the link number. We derive a fundamental relation between the Euler angles that describe the curve and the topological linking number. Analytical expressions for the spatial configurations of the molecule in the infinite-length limit are obtained. A unique configuration minimizes the energy for a given set of physical conditions. An elastic model incorporating thermal fluctuations provides excellent agreement with experimental results on the plectonemic transition.