4 research outputs found
Effective interaction between helical bio-molecules
The effective interaction between two parallel strands of helical
bio-molecules, such as deoxyribose nucleic acids (DNA), is calculated using
computer simulations of the "primitive" model of electrolytes. In particular we
study a simple model for B-DNA incorporating explicitly its charge pattern as a
double-helix structure. The effective force and the effective torque exerted
onto the molecules depend on the central distance and on the relative
orientation. The contributions of nonlinear screening by monovalent counterions
to these forces and torques are analyzed and calculated for different salt
concentrations. As a result, we find that the sign of the force depends
sensitively on the relative orientation. For intermolecular distances smaller
than it can be both attractive and repulsive. Furthermore we report a
nonmonotonic behaviour of the effective force for increasing salt
concentration. Both features cannot be described within linear screening
theories. For large distances, on the other hand, the results agree with linear
screening theories provided the charge of the bio-molecules is suitably
renormalized.Comment: 18 pages, 18 figures included in text, 100 bibliog
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Neutron diffraction of. cap alpha. ,. beta. and. gamma. cyclodextrins: hydrogen bonding patterns
Cyclodextrins (CD's) are torus-shaped molecules composed of six (..cap alpha..), seven (..beta..) or eight (..gamma..) (1 ..-->.. 4) linked glucoses. ..cap alpha..-CD has been shown to have two different structures with well-defined hydrogen bonds, one tense and the other relaxed. An induced-fit-like mechanism for ..cap alpha..-CD complex formation has been proposed. Circular hydrogen bond networks have also been found for ..cap alpha..-CD due to the energetically favored cooperative effect. ..beta..-CD with a disordered water structure possesses an unusual flip-flop hydrogen bonding system of the type O-H H-O representing an equilibrium between two states; O-H O reversible H-O. ..gamma..-CD with a disordered water structure similar to ..beta..-CD also possesses the flip-flop hydrogen bond. This study demonstrates that hydrogen bonds are operative in disordered systems and display dynamics even in the solid state