Effect of shear force on the separation of double stranded DNA

TL;DR

This study uses Langevin Dynamics simulations to investigate how shear force influences the rupture of short double stranded DNA, revealing linear force-length relationships and temperature effects.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the rupture mechanics of DNA under shear force, combining simulation results with experimental consistency.

Findings

Rupture force increases linearly with DNA chain length

Force-extension curves are qualitatively similar across temperatures with shifts

Three regimes observed in covalent bond extension under shear force

Abstract

Using the Langevin Dynamics simulation, we have studied the effects of the shear force on the rupture of short double stranded DNA at different temperatures. We show that the rupture force increases linearly with the chain length and approaches to the asymptotic value in accordance with the experiment. The qualitative nature of these curves almost remains same for different temperatures but with a shift in the force. We observe three different regimes in the extension of covalent bonds (back bone) under the shear force.