Phenomenological Modeling of DNA Overstretching

Abstract

A phenomenological model based on the three-dimensional theory of nonlinear elasticity is developed to describe the phenomenon of overstretching in the force-extension curve for doublestranded DNA (dsDNA). By using the concept of a material with multiple reference configurations a single formula is obtained to fit the force-extension curve.

Biology, Physics and Nonlinear Science

“…I would mention first of all the paper by Ribezzi-Crivellari, Wagner and Ritort [80] dealing with the problem of determining proper parameters in DNA modelling, and focusing in particular on kinetic parameters for DNA hairpins under tension. The paper by Ogden, Saccomandi and Sgura [66] deals with a phenomenological continuum model of DNA, and in particular aims at describing DNA overstretching. The paper by Joyeux [43] and the one by Rapti, Rasmussen and Bishop [79] both deal with the transferintegral operator method for the study of one-dimensional models of DNA, in the first case within an approach leading to a pseudo-Schroedinger equation and in the second one within the Peyrard-Bishop-Dauxois approach.…”