# gst: apropos of weak bonds, hydrophobic cohesion to stabilize the double helix of DNA

<< The main stabilizer of the DNA double helix is not the base-pair hydrogen bonds but coin-pile stacking of base pairs, whose hydrophobic cohesion, requiring abundant water, indirectly makes the DNA interior dry so that hydrogen bonds can exert full recognition power. (..) (AA) speculate that hydrophobic catalysis is a general phenomenon in DNA enzymes. >>

<< The forces that stabilize the DNA double helix are a prerequisite for the secure storage of genetic information but their modest strength is also necessary for the efficient processes of replication, transcription, recombination, and repair systems-wherein thermal fluctuations, or "breathing," play an important role >>

Bobo Feng, Robert P. Sosa, et al. Hydrophobic catalysis and a potential biological role of DNA unstacking induced by environment effects. PNAS.  116 (35) 17169-17174; Aug 27, 2019.  doi: 10.1073/ pnas.1909122116.    https://www.pnas.org/content/116/35/17169

DNA is held together by hydrophobic forces. Chalmers University of Technology. Sep 23, 2019.     https://m.phys.org/news/2019-09-dna-held-hydrophobic.html