Probing the mechanical unzipping of DNA

TL;DR

This paper investigates the micromechanical unzipping of DNA using a Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois model and Monte Carlo simulations, aligning well with experimental data and exploring differences between in vivo and in vitro conditions.

Contribution

Introduces a Monte Carlo method to accurately analyze DNA unzipping forces and reproduces experimental phase diagrams for homogeneous and $\lambda$-phage DNA.

Findings

Quantitative agreement with experimental unzipping forces

Reproduction of DNA force-temperature phase diagram

Potential fundamental differences between in vivo and in vitro unzipping

Abstract

A study of the micromechanical unzipping of DNA in the framework of the Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois model is presented. We introduce a Monte Carlo technique that allows accurate determination of the dependence of the unzipping forces on unzipping speed and temperature. Our findings agree quantitatively with experimental results for homogeneous DNA, and for $\lambda$-phage DNA we reproduce the recently obtained experimental force-temperature phase diagram. Finally, we argue that there may be fundamental differences between {\em in vivo} and {\em in vitro} DNA unzipping.