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A puzzle in DNA biophysics

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Abstract.

In this issue, Lee et al. report the experimental temperature-dependence of the unzipping force for two natural DNA sequences. For both sequences, the curves show an anomaly at temperatures around 40 \(\ensuremath ^{\circ}\)C. In this brief contribution, we stress that the anomaly is not easily explained within the established theoretical models for the biophysics of DNA. As this puzzle questions our basic understanding of DNA, it must be resolved, most likely by a combination of additional experiments and new theoretical work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, 191 W. Woodruff Avenue, 43210-1117, Columbus, OH, USA

    R. Bundschuh

  2. Arnold-Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for Nanoscience (CeNS), LMU München, Theresienstrasse 37, 80333, München, Germany

    U. Gerland

Authors
  1. R. Bundschuh
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  2. U. Gerland
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Correspondence to R. Bundschuh.

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Bundschuh, R., Gerland, U. A puzzle in DNA biophysics. Eur. Phys. J. E 19, 347–349 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2005-10062-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2005-10062-2

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