Statistical Mechanics and Stability of Macromolecules: Application to Bond Disruption, Base Pair Separation, Melting, and Drug Dissociation of the DNA Double Helix

by Earl Prohofsky

• ISBN13: 9780521675574
• ISBN10: 052167557X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-07-14
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

This book develops a statistical mechanical analysis of the stability of biological macromolecules. The author's approach is valid both for the long time-scale needed for DNA bond disruption, and also for highly cooperative transitions needed to explain helix melting. Prohofsky develops a new theoretical approach for executing macromolecule calculations. In particular the author devises a method for describing chemical bond disruption in these large systems, which is then used to determine when the helix melts and how drugs can dissociate from the helix. The author finds melting temperatures to be in excellent agreement with experimental observations.

Table of Contents

Preface

1. Introduction

2. Macromolecular stability

3. Lattice dynamics

4. Effective phonon theory

5. Premelting disrupted chemical bonds

6. Co-operative melting

7. Strained chemical bonds: salt and pressure effects

8. Bond disruption and conformation change: B to Z confirmation change in DNA

9. Hydration effects: structural water

10. Helix with daunomycin intercalated: increased helix stability and daunomycin-DNA bonding constant

11. Non repeating DNA

12. Cutting and splicing: junctions, inserts and the replicating fork

13. Interaction between a helix and a single attached molecule

14. Energy considerations in bond opening

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3. Index