Irreversible topological transition of a stretched superhelix: the interplay of chiralities.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31338508.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1039/c9sm01027k.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
Helical complexes with certain intramolecular constraints on their topological state, exhibit nontrivial conformational changes in response to an external tension. We consider a generic right-handed helix and construct identical right and left-handed superhelixes. By using molecular dynamics simulations, we discover that under an external tension, the interplay between the helix chirality and the chirality of the superhelix leads to a fundamental topology transition of the stretched right-handed superhelix to its left-handed counterpart. We characterize and rationalize this irreversible phenomenon for a wide range of intramolecular angular stiffnesses and determine the associated phase diagram at different external loadings.