Systematic detection of hidden complexities in the unfolding mechanism of a cytosine-rich DNA strand

We investigate the unfolding pathway of a cytosine-rich DNA structure via molecular dynamics simulations. By the study of the essential dynamics, we are able to identify a hidden complexity in the description of the dynamics in terms of the first two eigenvectors which are used as collective variables. This complexity can be mainly explained by non-Gaussian fluctuations due to contributions arising from the disregarded set of eigenvectors. We introduce the local non-Gaussian parameter as a tool for the detection of hidden complexities. The usage of this parameter allows a fast and reliable investigation for the determination of the important minimal number of eigenvectors which is needed for a sufficient description of molecular unfolding motion. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.