Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Polarons in DNA.

E M Conwell1, S V Rakhmanova

  • 1Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA. conwell@chem.chem.rochester.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|April 12, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Localization of a hole on an adenine-thymine radical cation in B-form DNA in water.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2011
Same author

Climate change and the integrity of science.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2010
Same author

Integrated Optics: a Report on the 2nd OSA Topical Meeting.

Applied optics·2010
Same author

Charge-transfer excitons in DNA.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2008
Same author

Effect of water drag on diffusion of drifting polarons in DNA.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2006
Same author

Polarons in DNA: transition from guanine to adenine transport.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2006
Same journal

The TaMYB55-TaSnRK1α1-TabZIP9 module confers heat stress tolerance in wheat.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Superstatistics approach to turbulent circulation fluctuations.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

A molecular timescale for evolution of cobamide biosynthesis.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Pierre Chambon, a pioneer of molecular biology and gene regulation in eukaryotes.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Granulosa cell glycogen fuels the avascular corpus luteum.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Synthetic essentiality of TRAIL/TNFSF10 in VHL-deficient renal cell carcinoma.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Hole transport in DNA can occur via polaron drift, a mechanism explaining ultrafast charge movement. This phenomenon, observed in conjugated polymers, suggests that charge carriers can form polarons on DNA, facilitating rapid transfer.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Experimental studies investigate hole mobility in DNA, often modeled by exponential decay parameters (beta).
  • Reported beta values vary widely, suggesting different transport mechanisms like superexchange or hopping.
  • Polaron formation, a structural distortion due to charge carriers in one-dimensional systems like DNA, has been proposed as a transport mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism behind ultrafast hole transport in DNA.
  • To explore the role of polaron formation and drift in DNA charge transport.
  • To correlate experimental findings with theoretical models of charge carrier behavior in DNA.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of experimental data on hole transit time and distance in DNA.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Application of a theoretical model for polaron formation and drift, adapted from conjugated polymer studies.
  • Comparison of deduced charge carrier mobility with established models.

    • Main Results:

    • Experimental data indicate a high diffusion constant for holes in DNA, leading to a mobility of 0.2 cm²/Vs.
    • This mobility is significantly higher than typical hopping mobilities, suggesting a different transport mechanism.
    • A theoretical model demonstrates that injected electrons or holes can form polarons on DNA stacks.

    Conclusions:

    • Ultrafast hole transport in DNA is likely due to polaron drift, analogous to mechanisms in conjugated polymers.
    • The polaron model provides a plausible explanation for the experimentally observed high charge carrier mobility in DNA.
    • Further research into polaron dynamics in DNA could elucidate fundamental charge transport processes.