Theoretical basis for the study of the effect of base composition on DNA melting

Abstract

We extend the ideas used to describe the glass transition in strong glasses employing the stochastic matrix method, giving a theoretical framework for the study of the configurational changes and the melting temperature of DNA. Our theoretical model enables a systematic study of the melting transition and the melting temperature dependence on the sequence differences in vertical stacking. Taking into account the fractional composition in a single strand, exact analytic results are given for the fraction of bonds intact and denatured at a particular temperature. This method is applicable to long DNA as well as RNA.