| Abstract: | The theoretical study of the cooperative binding of a small ligand to a linear homopolymer is extended to systems in which two different complexes can form. The binding isotherms are derived under the assumption that the cooperative interactions exist only between molecules belonging to the same type of binding mode and are limited to nearest neighbors (Ising model). The binding to a single-stranded chain is first considered and two extreme cases are studied: (1) the two complexes can form independently from each other (model of independent classes of binding sites); (2) only one class of binding site exists, each possessing two different states of complexation (three-state model). Binding to a double-helical chain is also considered. Three simple types of competition between the different modes of binding are distinguished. The corresponding models are defined as: (1) the model of independent classes of binding sites; (2) the model of monoexclusive interactions between the different kinds of complexes (the symmetric and asymmetric cases are both considered); (3) the model of biexclusive interactions. The comparative study of the different cases shows that the binding isotherms are very similar at large polymer-to-ligand concentration ratios, while they can be very different at low polymer-to-ligand ratios. This can be used to obtain information on the mechanism of dye binding to nucleic acids by equilibrium studies as shown in a subsequent paper. |
