A brief study of the effects of magnesium divalent ions on the Dickerson DNA sequence at varying molar concentrations

Abstract

The interaction of nucleic acids with metallic ions is crucial for DNA function. Mg²⁺ can bond directly or indirectly via water. We explored Mg²⁺ interaction with Dickerson DNA at varying Mg²⁺ concentrations with fixed NaCl concentration. Analysing the correlation function, we mapped Mg²⁺ density around DNA regions. We found that the Mg²⁺ interaction decreased with rising Mg²⁺ concentrations. Mg²⁺ also displayed a higher affinity for the Phosphate group over grooves. We explored the variation of stacking parameters by varying Mg²⁺ concentrations, indicating slight structural changes which have not been explored yet. Our study reflects that the Mg²⁺ concentrations had almost minimal impact on Dickerson-DNA structure, instead stabilizing it.