The dimensionality of a coiled helical coil

TL;DR

This paper explores the dimensionality of coiled helical structures, especially DNA, revealing that their dimensionality approaches the mathematical constant e, which may explain the prevalence of B-form DNA.

Contribution

It provides a theoretical analysis of the dimensionality of coiled helical structures like DNA, linking their geometric properties to biological prevalence.

Findings

Dimensionality of coiled coils is approximately e.

B-form DNA has dimensionality closest to the optimal value.

The study suggests a link between geometric properties and biological dominance.

Abstract

The helical coil is ubiquitous in biological and natural systems and often it is the basic form that leads to complex structures. This paper considers the question of its dimensionality in biological information as the helical coil goes through recursive coiling as happens to DNA and RNA molecules in chromatin. It has been shown that the dimensionality of coiled coils is virtually equal to e. Of the three forms of DNA, the dimensionality of the B-form is nearest to the optimal value and this might be the reason why it is most common.