The ionic strength dependence of the cooperativity factor in DNA melting

Authors

  • S. A. Kozyavkin Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR Moscow, USSR Author
  • S. M. Mirkin Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR Moscow, USSR Author
  • B. R. Amirikyan Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR Moscow, USSR Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7124/bc.0001A7

Abstract

The melting temperatures for the d(AT)24·d(AT)24 stretch located inside the DNA helix or terminally have been determined in a wide range of the ionic strength values (0.01–1 M Na+). The values of cooperativity factor were calculated from the shifts in the melting temperature of the stretch due to its different boundary conditions. With a decrease of the sodium concentration from 1 to 0.01 M the cooperativity factor has dropped by three orders of magnitude, its change being less pronounced at high ionic strengths than at low ones.

References

Anshelevich VV, Vologodskii AV, Lukashin AV, Frank-Kamenetskii MD. Slow relaxational processes in the melting of linear biopolymers: a theory and its application to nucleic acids. Biopolymers. 1984;23(1):39-58.

Amirikyan BR, Vologodskii AV, Lyubchenko YuL. Determination of DNA cooperativity factor. Nucleic Acids Res. 1981;9(20):5469-82.

Panyutin I, Lyamichev V, Mirkin S. A structural transition in d(AT)n.d(AT)n inserts within superhelical DNA. J Biomol Struct Dyn. 1985;2(6):1221-34.

Kozyavkin SA, Naritsin DB, Lyubchenko YuL. The kinetics of DNA helix-coil subtransitions. J Biomol Struct Dyn. 1986;3(4):689-704.

Fixman M, Freire JJ. Theory of DNA melting curves. Biopolymers. 1977;16(12):2693-704.

Gruenwedel DW. Salt effects on the denaturation of DNA. 3. A calorimetric investigation of the transition enthalpy of calf thymus DNA in Na2SO4 solutions of varying ionic strength. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1974;340(1):16-30.

Gruenwedel DW. Salt effects on the denaturation of DNA. IV. A calorimetric study of the helix-coil conversion of the alternating copolymer poly[d(A-T)]. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975;395(3):246-57.

Yanisch-Perron C, Vieira J, Messing J. Improved M13 phage cloning vectors and host strains: nucleotide sequences of the M13mp18 and pUC19 vectors. Gene. 1985;33(1):103-19.

Gotoh O. Prediction of melting profiles and local helix stability for sequenced DNA. Adv Biophys. 1983;16:1-52.

biopolym.cell-1986-2-3-cover.png

Downloads

Published

1986-05-20

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 3 (1986)

Section

Structure and Function of Biopolymers