The Effects of Mechanical Properties of DNA on the Thermodynamic Stability of the DNA-Dendronized Polymer Nanocluster

A. Nikakhtar^a,†, A. Nasehzadeh^a,* and G.A. Mansoori^b
aDepartment of Chemistry, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman 76175, Iran
^bUniversity of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

 (Received 13 March 2006, Accepted 23 April 2006)

      The effects of the mechanical properties of DNA, such as bending, twisting, and bending-twisting interactions on the thermodynamic stability of DNA-dendronized polymer nanoclusters with different conformations in terms of free energy are investigated. The effect of temperature on the free energy is also studied and the values of enthalpy and entropy of the solution of the nanocluster are predicted. The obtained thermodynamic quantities help us to have a better understanding about the mechanical properties of DNA and the stability of the nanocluster in gene therapy.

Keywords: DNA-dendronized polymer nanocluster, Bending free energy, Twisting free energy, Electrostatic free energy, Gene therapy, Elastic free energy