Abstract
Whereas the phosphates of B-DNA jut out into the solution, those of Z-DNA, being closer to DNA matter, are less subject to electrostatic screening by counterions. We present simple planar models of B- and Z-DNA that reflect these geometric features. The ionic strength dependence of the difference in the Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatic free energy of the models agrees with that measured by Pohl [Pohl, F. M. (1983) Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol. 47, 113-118]. This indicates that the electrostatics of the B-to-Z transition are primarily controlled by a qualitative geometrical difference and not by details of the DNA geometry or by complex electrostatic properties of the ionic solution.
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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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