Torsion affects the calculation of DNA twisting number

Huimin Yang; Xuguang Shi

doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149856

Torsion affects the calculation of DNA twisting number

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 May 28:710:149856. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149856. Epub 2024 Mar 28.

Authors

Huimin Yang¹, Xuguang Shi²

Affiliations

¹ College of Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
² College of Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China. Electronic address: shixg@bjfu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38583234
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149856

Abstract

The topological properties of DNA have long been a focal point in biophysics. In the 1970s, White proposed that the topology of closed DNA double helix follows White's formula: L_k=W_r+T_w. However, there has been controversy in the calculation of DNA twisting number, partly due to discrepancies in the definition of torsion in differential geometry. In this paper, we delved into a detailed study of torsion, revealing that the calculation of DNA twisting number should use the curve's geodesic torsion. Furthermore, we found that the discrepancy in DNA twisting numbers calculated using different torsion is N. This study elucidated the impact of torsion on the calculation of DNA twisting numbers, aiming to resolve controversies in the calculation of DNA topology and provided accurate computational methods and theoretical foundations for related research.

Keywords: DNA twisting number; Geodesic torsion; Torsion.

MeSH terms

Biophysics
DNA* / genetics
Mathematics
Nucleic Acid Conformation

Substances

DNA