title: Differential stability of DNA based on salt concentration.
abstract: Intracellular positive ions neutralize negative charges on the phosphates of a DNA strand, conferring greater strength on the hydrogen bonds that connect complementary strands into a double helix and so confer enhanced stability. Beyond a certain value of salt concentration, the DNA molecule displays an unstable nature in vivo as well as in vitro. We consider a wide range of salt concentrations and study the stability of the DNA double helix using a statistical model. Through numerical calculations, we attempt to explain the different behavior exhibited by DNA molecules in this range. We compare our results with experimental data and find a close agreement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, 333 031, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Arghya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maity
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, 333 031, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Amar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, 333 031, Rajasthan, India. navin@pilani.bits-pilani.ac.in.
authors.forename: Navin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation / Q000187:drug effects; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation / Q000187:drug effects; D012492:Salts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D044366:Transition Temperature
chemical_list: D012492:Salts; D004247:DNA
keywords: DNA denaturation; PBD model; Salt