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. 1979 Mar;6(3):983–992. doi: 10.1093/nar/6.3.983

The effect of the superhelicity on the double helix twist angle in DNA.

B N Belintsev, A V Gagua, S A Nedospasov
PMCID: PMC327746  PMID: 220593

Abstract

An attempt to estimate the relative contributions of twisting and bending to the free energy of superhelix formation from the relaxed DNA is undertaken. The extent of teritiary ordering (number of DNA axis turns tau) and that of secondary ordering (duplex twist angle beta) have been taken as thermodynamical parameters, which characterize the state of the supercoild DNA at the fixed linking number (Lk) value. Such a thermodynamical approach implies the phenomenological parameters of rigidities of twisting and supercoiling (Gbeta, Gtau). Gtau/Gbeta ratio is estimated from the presented experimental data on the winding of the double helix upon increasing the ionic strength when twist alterations are followed by circular dichroism method. The adequacy of such interpretation of CD spectra changes are discussed. The values of Gtau and Gbeta are estimated to be of the same order of magnitude.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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