Golo V L, Kats E I, Kuznetsova S A, Volkov Yu S
Department of Mechanics and Mathematics, the Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.
Eur Phys J E Soft Matter. 2010 Jan;31(1):59-67. doi: 10.1140/epje/i2010-10549-7. Epub 2010 Jan 20.
We study chiral electrostatic interaction between artificial ideal homopolymer DNA-like molecules in which a number of phosphate groups of the sugar-phosphate backbone are exchanged for the pyrophosphate ones. We employ a model in which the DNA is considered as a one-dimensional lattice of dipoles and charges corresponding to base pairs and (pyro)phosphate groups, respectively. The interaction between molecules of the DNA is described by a pair potential U of electrostatic forces between the two sets of dipoles and charges belonging to respective lattices describing the molecules. Minima of the potential U indicate orientational ordering of the molecules and thus liquid crystalline phases of the DNA. We use numerical methods for finding the set of minima in conjunction with symmetries verified by the potential U . The symmetries form a non-commutative group of 8th order, S . Using the group S we suggest a classification of liquid crystalline phases of the DNA, which allows several cholesteric phases, that is polymorphism. Pyrophosphate forms of the DNA could clarify the role played by charges in their liquid crystalline phases, and open experimental research, important for nano-technological and bio-medical applications.
我们研究了人工理想均聚物类DNA分子之间的手性静电相互作用,其中糖-磷酸主链的一些磷酸基团被焦磷酸基团取代。我们采用了一个模型,其中DNA被视为分别对应于碱基对和(焦)磷酸基团的偶极子和电荷的一维晶格。DNA分子之间的相互作用由描述分子的各自晶格中两组偶极子和电荷之间的静电力对势U来描述。势U的最小值表明分子的取向有序,从而表明DNA的液晶相。我们使用数值方法结合势U验证的对称性来寻找最小值集。这些对称性形成了一个八阶非交换群S。利用群S,我们提出了DNA液晶相的分类,这允许存在几种胆甾相,即多晶型现象。DNA的焦磷酸形式可以阐明电荷在其液晶相中的作用,并开启对纳米技术和生物医学应用很重要的实验研究。