DNA Undergoing Phase Transitions as a Quasicrystalline Molecule

Abstract

Paul Sharma*

DNA has a capacity to switch among alternative conformations and can be viewed as a quasicrystalline, soft-matter polymer whose order can be modified by phase transitions. Flipons—sequence elements that switch conformation under physiological stresses can be viewed within the broader chromatin context where liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) and mesoscale condensates organize the genome and modulate non-B structures. It is noted how transposable elements (TEs) and retroelements, activated by environmental challenges, can generate new sequences and regulatory architectures that may underlie punctuated evolutionary patterns, such as the Cambrian explosion.

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