Quantum Mechanics / Molecular Mechanics Free Energy Maps and Nonadiabatic Simulations for a Photochemical Reaction in DNA: Cyclobutane Thymine Dimer.
Autor: Mendieta Moreno, Jesús I.; Trabada, Daniel G.; Mendieta, Jesús; Lewis, James P.; Gómez Puertas, Paulino
Resumen: The absorption of ultraviolet radiation by DNA may result in harmful genetic lesions that affect DNA replication and transcription, ultimately causing mutations, cancer, and/or cell death. We analyze the most abundant photochemical reaction in DNA, the cyclobutane thymine dimer, using hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) techniques and QM/MM nonadiabatic molecular dynamics. We find that, due to its double helix structure, DNA presents a free energy barrier between nonreactive and reactive conformations leading to the photolesion. Moreover, our nonadiabatic simulations show that most of the photoexcited reactive conformations return to standard B-DNA conformations after an ultrafast nonradiative decay to the ground state. This work highlights the importance of dynamical effects (free energy, excited-state dynamics) for the study of photochemical reactions in biological systems.
Identificador universal: http://hdl.handle.net/10641/1716
Fecha: 2016
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