%0 Journal Article
%T Stabilization of helical macromolecular phases by confined bending
%A Matthew J. Williams
%A Michael Bachmann
%J Physics
%D 2015
%I arXiv
%R 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.048301
%X By means of extensive replica-exchange simulations of generic coarse-grained models for helical polymers, we systematically investigate the structural transitions into all possible helical phases for flexible and semiflexible elastic polymers with self-interaction under the influence of torsion barriers. The competing interactions lead to a variety of conformational phases including disordered helical arrangements, single helices, and ordered, tertiary helix bundles. Most remarkably, we find that a bending restraint entails a clear separation and stabilization of the helical phases. This aids in understanding why semiflexible polymers such as double-stranded DNA tend to form pronounced helical structures and proteins often exhibit an abundance of helical structures, such as helix bundles, within their tertiary structure.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1509.06454v1