Impact of Divalent Cations on In-Layer Positional Order of DNA-Based Liquid Crystals: Implications for DNA Condensation
Not provided.
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology↗
Engineering topics
Gyawali, Prabesh
Publications and source records attributed to Gyawali, Prabesh.
Stability of End-to-End Base Stacking Interactions in Highly Concentrated DNA Solutions
Not provided.
Chemistry↗
Mono- and bilayer smectic liquid crystal ordering in dense solutions of “gapped” DNA duplexes
Significance Liquid crystalline behavior of DNA has been studied for decades, yet only recently has one of the most fundamental liquid crystal phases—the smectic phase in which rod-like objects assemble into stacks of fluid layers—been demonstrated in this system. Here, we describe distinct bilayer and monolayer smectic phases in solutions of “gapped” DNA (GDNA), consisting of two DNA duplexes connected by a single strand. The smectic order is amphotropic (sensitive to temperature as well as concentration), and the layer structure is stable against significant perturbations of the GDNA construct (e.g., “gap” length variation and asymmetry in duplex lengths). The temperature sensitivity may provide a means to compare end-to-end interaction strengths between DNA duplexes at biologically relevant concentrations.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗