Infinitesimal bending of DNA helices

Authors

MIROSLAV MAKSIMOVIC
LJUBICA VELIMIROVIC
MARIJA NAJDANOVIC

DOI

10.3906/mat-2003-106

Abstract

The mathematics of DNA molecules is often studied as a double helix model. This paper focuses on the modelling of infinitesimal bending of DNA helices. The paper checks the flexibility of DNA molecule, i.e. the flexibility of double helix in infinitesimal bending theory. Actually, first, we find infinitesimal bending field of an arbitrary curve on the helicoid, that leaves bent curves on the helicoid, and show that helix bending on the helicoid is not possible. Finally, we deal with the infinitesimal bending of helicoid, using PDEs. Visualization of infinitesimal bending was done in Mathematica.

Keywords

DNA, double helix, helicoid, infinitesimal bendin

First Page

520

Last Page

528

Recommended Citation

MAKSIMOVIC, MIROSLAV; VELIMIROVIC, LJUBICA; and NAJDANOVIC, MARIJA (2021) "Infinitesimal bending of DNA helices," Turkish Journal of Mathematics: Vol. 45: No. 1, Article 32. https://doi.org/10.3906/mat-2003-106
Available at: https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/math/vol45/iss1/32