How many base-pairs per turn does DNA have in solution and in chromatin? Some theoretical calculations.
- 1 February 1978
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Vol. 75 (2) , 640-644
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.75.2.640
Abstract
Calculations on a 20-base-pair segment of DNA double helix using empirical energy functions show that DNA can be bent smoothly and uniformly into a superhelix with a small enough radius (45 .ANG.) to fit the dimensions of chromatin. The variation of energy with the twist of the base pairs about the helix axis shows the straight DNA free in solution is most stable with about 10 1/2 base pairs per turn rather than 10 as observed in the solid state, whereas superhelical DNA in chromatin is most stable with about 10 base pairs per turn. This result, which has a simple physical interpretation, explains the pattern of nuclease cuts and the linkage number changes observed for DNA arranged in chromatin.This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
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