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Stabilization of Helical Macromolecular Phases by Confined Bending
Matthew J Williams1, Michael Bachmann1,2,3
1Soft Matter Systems Research Group, Center for Simulational Physics, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA.
Abstract:
By means of extensive replica-exchange simulations of generic coarse-grained models for helical polymers, we systematically investigate the structural transitions into all possible helical phases for flexible and semiflexible elastic polymers with self-interaction under the influence of torsion barriers. The competing interactions lead to a variety of conformational phases including disordered helical arrangements, single helices, and ordered, tertiary helix bundles. Most remarkably, we find that a bending restraint entails a clear separation and stabilization of the helical phases. This aids in understanding why semiflexible polymers such as double-stranded DNA tend to form pronounced helical structures and proteins often exhibit an abundance of helical structures, such as helix bundles, within their tertiary structure.
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