Nonlinear Phenomena in Complex Systems, 2003, Vol.6, No.1, pp.568-571

NONLINEAR PHENOMENA IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS
An Interdisciplinary Journal

2003, Vol.6, No.1, pp.568-571

Nonlinear Overstretching of DNA Molecule as the Stability Breaking
V.B.Nemtsov

On the basis of thermodynamical description of the nonlinear overstretching of DNA molecule it is shown that the force-deformation equation is similar to the van der Vaals equation. The B-DNA to S-DNA transition is considered as the stability breaking. The transition is described as the passage from a stable branch of the force-deformation curve to another stable branch of this curve. Position of the accompanied plateau is determined by means of Maxwell ruly analogously to the case of van der Vaals equation. The "critical'' point for the overstretching DNA molecule is predicted.
Key words: DNA, Elasticity, overstretching

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