Proceedings

EPJ E Highlight - Switching DNA and RNA on and off

Caption: Electric field (E) dependence of polarisation (P) for a cytosine nucleobase

Natural switching of DNA and RNA polarisation opens possibilities to develop novel biosensors and high-capacity data storage

DNA and RNA are naturally polarised molecules containing electric dipole moments due to the presence of a significant number of charged atoms at neutral pH. Scientists believe that these molecules have an in-built polarity that can be reoriented or reversed fully or in part under an electric field—a property referred to as bioferroelectricity. However, the mechanism of these properties remains unclear. In a new study published in EPJ E, See-Chuan Yam from the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and colleagues show that all the DNA and RNA building blocks, or nucleobases, exhibit a non-zero polarisation in the presence of polar atoms or molecules such as amidogen and carbonyl. They have two stable states, indicating that DNA and RNA basically have memory properties, just like a ferroelectric or ferromagnetic material. This is relevant for finding better ways of storing data in DNA and RNA because they have a high capacity for storage and offer a stable storage medium. Such physical properties may play an important role in biological processes and functions. Specifically, these properties could also be extremely useful for possible applications as a biosensor to detect DNA damage and mutation.

In this work, the authors employ computational molecular modelling to study the polarisation switching of DNA and RNA using a semi-empirical quantum mechanical approach. To do so, they model the five nucleobases which are the building blocks of DNA and RNA.

The authors also make an interesting discovery: that the minimum electric field required for switching the polarisation of a nucleobase is inversely proportional to the ratio of the topological polar surface area (TPSA) to the total surface area (TSA) of a nucleobase. This work may, therefore, also provide valuable insights for understanding the possible existence of ferroelectricity in biomaterials; further, the observed switching mechanism and ferroelectrical properties of DNA and RNA nucleobases could inform the future development of DNA and RNA-based nanomaterials and electronic devices.

This was our first experience of publishing with EPJ Web of Conferences. We contacted the publisher in the middle of September, just one month prior to the Conference, but everything went through smoothly. We have had published MNPS Proceedings with different publishers in the past, and would like to tell that the EPJ Web of Conferences team was probably the best, very quick, helpful and interactive. Typically, we were getting responses from EPJ Web of Conferences team within less than an hour and have had help at every production stage.
We are very thankful to Solange Guenot, Web of Conferences Publishing Editor, and Isabelle Houlbert, Web of Conferences Production Editor, for their support. These ladies are top-level professionals, who made a great contribution to the success of this issue. We are fully satisfied with the publication of the Conference Proceedings and are looking forward to further cooperation. The publication was very fast, easy and of high quality. My colleagues and I strongly recommend EPJ Web of Conferences to anyone, who is interested in quick high-quality publication of conference proceedings.

On behalf of the Organizing and Program Committees and Editorial Team of MNPS-2019, Dr. Alexey B. Nadykto, Moscow State Technological University “STANKIN”, Moscow, Russia. EPJ Web of Conferences vol. 224 (2019)

ISSN: 2100-014X (Electronic Edition)

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