Abstract
A Flory-like theory of sharp melting of polymer-DNA hybrids is developed. The theory considers linear polymers with attached DNAs that serve as stickers, and with a two-state model governing the DNA melting equilibrium. For three or more DNA oligomers on each polymer, the solution is found to undergo phase separation at sufficiently low temperatures. The dense phase dissolves as temperature increases, which leads to a sharp increase in the fraction of non-hybridized DNA near the phase transition temperature, in agreement with known experimental absorbance profiles at 260nm. The melting temperature is predicted to be higher than that of free DNA in solution, with the amount of the increase sensitive to the importance of cooperative interactions. Modifications to the theory that take into account the cooperativity of hybridization of neighboring DNA strands are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
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| Pages | 263-271 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2006 |
| Event | 3rd Conference on Foundations of Nanoscience: Self-Assembled Architectures and Devices, FNANO 2006 - Snowbird, UT, United States Duration: Apr 23 2006 → Apr 27 2006 |
Other
| Other | 3rd Conference on Foundations of Nanoscience: Self-Assembled Architectures and Devices, FNANO 2006 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Snowbird, UT |
| Period | 4/23/06 → 4/27/06 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hardware and Architecture
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering