Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Double-Stranded DNA in an Explicit Solvent Model with the Zero-Dipole Summation Method

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a double-stranded DNA with explicit water and small ions were performed with the zero-dipole summation (ZD) method, which was recently developed as one of the non-Ewald methods. Double-stranded DNA is highly charged and polar, with phosphate groups in its backbone and their counterions, and thus precise treatment for the long-range electrostatic interactions is always required to maintain the stable and native double-stranded form. A simple truncation method deforms it profoundly. On the contrary, the ZD method, which considers the neutralities of charges and dipoles in a truncated subset, well reproduced the electrostatic energies of the DNA system calculated by the Ewald method. The MD simulations using the ZD method provided a stable DNA system, with similar structures and dynamic properties to those produced by the conventional Particle mesh Ewald method.