Tops and Writhing DNA

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the configurations of twisted, stretched DNA polymers can be described using a local writhe formulation, simplifying theoretical modeling and enabling better comparison with experiments and simulations.

Contribution

It provides a justification for using Fuller's local writhe expression in the statistical mechanical treatment of DNA torsional elasticity.

Findings

Local writhe formulation is valid for dominant DNA configurations under stretch and twist.

Facilitates comparison between theoretical models, experiments, and simulations.

Simplifies mathematical analysis of DNA torsional behavior.

Abstract

The torsional elasticity of semiflexible polymers like DNA is of biological significance. A mathematical treatment of this problem was begun by Fuller using the relation between link, twist and writhe, but progress has been hindered by the non-local nature of the writhe. This stands in the way of an analytic statistical mechanical treatment, which takes into account thermal fluctuations, in computing the partition function. In this paper we use the well known analogy with the dynamics of tops to show that when subjected to stretch and twist, the polymer configurations which dominate the partition function admit a local writhe formulation in the spirit of Fuller and thus provide an underlying justification for the use of Fuller's "local writhe expression" which leads to considerable mathematical simplification in solving theoretical models of DNA and elucidating their predictions. Our result facilitates comparison of the theoretical models with single molecule micromanipulation experiments and computer simulations.