title: Kinked DNA. Energetics and conditions favoring its formation.
abstract: Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the formation of kinks in DNA in the manner proposed by Crick and Klug produces a conformation which corresponds to a local energy minimum when the phosphate backbone is charged. This conformation becomes the global minimum under certain conditions which neutralize the anionic backbone oxygens. A sequence preference for kink formation is predicted. The possible role of kinking in experimentally observed phenomena and experimental means of demonstrating the existence of kinks are discussed.
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D002621:Chemistry; D002843:Chromatin; D004247:DNA; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D009841:Oligonucleotides; C015314:kinked DNA; D004247:DNA