title: Structural equilibrium of DNA represented with different force fields.
abstract: We have recently indicated preliminary evidence of different equilibrium average structures with the CHARMM and AMBER force fields in explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations on the DNA duplex d(C5T5) . d(A5G5) (Feig, M. and B.M. Pettitt, 1997, Experiment vs. Force Fields: DNA conformation from molecular dynamics simulations. J. Phys. Chem. B. (101:7361-7363). This paper presents a detailed comparison of DNA structure and dynamics for both force fields from extended simulation times of 10 ns each. Average structures display an A-DNA base geometry with the CHARMM force field and a base geometry that is intermediate between A- and B-DNA with the AMBER force field. The backbone assumes B form on both strands with the AMBER force field, while the CHARMM force field produces heterogeneous structures with the purine strand in A form and the pyrimidine strand in dynamical equilibrium between A and B conformations. The results compare well with experimental data for the cytosine/guanine part but fail to fully reproduce an overall B conformation in the thymine/adenine tract expected from crystallographic data, particularly with the CHARMM force field. Fluctuations between A and B conformations are observed on the nanosecond time scale in both simulations, particularly with the AMBER force field. Different dynamical behavior during the first 4 ns indicates that convergence times of several nanoseconds are necessary to fully establish a dynamical equilibrium in all structural quantities on the time scale of the simulations presented here.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204-5641 USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feig
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Pettitt
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D055672:Static Electricity; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D004247:DNA