Multiplateau Force–Extension Curves of Long Double-Stranded DNA Molecules

When highly stretched, double-stranded DNA exhibits a plateau region in its force–extension curve. Using a bead–spring coarse-grained dynamic model based on a nonconvex potential, we predict that a long double-stranded DNA fragment made of several consecutive segments with substantially different plateau force values for each segment will exhibit multiple distinct plateau regions in the force–extension curve under physiologically relevant solvent conditions. For example, a long composite double-stranded (ds) DNA fragment consisting of two equal-length segments characterized by two different plateau force values, such as the poly(dA-dT)-poly(dG-dC) fragment, is predicted to exhibit two distinct plateau regions in its force–extension curve; a long composite dsDNA fragment consisting of three segments having three different plateau force values is predicted to have three distinct plateau regions. The formation of mixed states of slightly and highly stretched DNA, coexisting with macroscopically distinct phases of uniformly stretched DNA is also predicted. When one of the segments overstretches, the extensions of the segments can differ drastically. For example, for the poly(dA-dT)-poly(dG-dC) composite fragment, in the middle of the first plateau, 96.7% of the total extension of the fragment (relative to L_x/L₀ ≈ 1.0) comes from the poly(dA-dT) segment, while only 3.3% of it comes from the poly(dG-dC) segment. The order of the segments has little effect on the force–extension curve or the distribution of conformational states. We speculate that the distinct structural states of stretched double-stranded DNA may have functional importance. For example, these states may modulate, in a sequence-dependent manner, the rate of double-stranded DNA processing by key cellular machines.