Abstract
We investigate the charge transport in synthetic DNA polymers built up from single type of base pairs. In the context of a polaronlike model, for which an electronic tight-binding system and bond vibrations of the double helix are coupled, we present estimates for the electron-vibration coupling strengths utilizing a quantum-chemical procedure. Subsequent studies concerning the mobility of polaron solutions, representing the state of a localized charge in unison with its associated helix deformation, show that the system for poly(dG)–poly(dC) and poly(dA)–poly(dT) DNA polymers, respectively possess quantitatively distinct transport properties. While the former supports unidirectionally moving electron breathers attributed to highly efficient long-range conductivity, the breather mobility in the latter case is comparatively restrained, inhibiting charge transport. Our results are in agreement with recent experimental results demonstrating that poly(dG)–poly(dC) DNA molecules acts as a semiconducting nanowire and exhibit better conductance than poly(dA)–poly(dT) ones.
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Hennig, D., Starikov, E.B., Archilla, J.F.R. et al. Charge Transport in Poly(dG)–Poly(dC) and Poly(dA)–Poly(dT) DNA Polymers. Journal of Biological Physics 30, 227–238 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBP.0000046721.92623.a9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBP.0000046721.92623.a9