title: Reentrant melting of RNA with quenched sequence randomness.
abstract: The effect of quenched sequence disorder on the thermodynamics of RNA secondary structure formation is investigated for two- and four-letter alphabet models using the constrained annealing approach, from which the temperature behavior of the free energy, specific heat, and helicity is analytically obtained. For competing base pairing energies, the calculations reveal reentrant melting at low temperatures, in excellent agreement with numerical results. Our results suggest an additional mechanism for the experimental phenomenon of RNA cold denaturation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Physics, Yerevan State University, 1 Alex Manougian Street, Yerevan 0025, Armenia.
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Hayrapetyan
authors.affiliation: Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany, EU.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iannelli
authors.affiliation: Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany, EU.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lekscha
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Physics, Yerevan State University, 1 Alex Manougian Street, Yerevan 0025, Armenia.
authors.forename: V F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Morozov
authors.affiliation: Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany, EU.
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Netz
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Physics, Yerevan State University, 1 Alex Manougian Street, Yerevan 0025, Armenia.
authors.forename: Y Sh
authors.initials: YSh
authors.lastname: Mamasakhlisov
mesh_terms: D008956:Models, Chemical; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013816:Thermodynamics; D044366:Transition Temperature
chemical_list: D012313:RNA