Atomistic insight into sequence-directed DNA bending and minicircle formation propensity in the absence and presence of phased A-tracts

Bending of double-stranded (ds) DNA plays a crucial role in many important biological processes and is relevant for nanotechnological applications. Among all the elements that have been studied in relation to dsDNA bending, A-tracts stand out as one of the most controversial. The “ApA wedge” theory was disproved when a series of linear polynucleotides containing phased 5′-A4T4-3′ or 5′-T4A4-3′ runs were shown to be bent or straight,...