Striking properties of duplicating DNA molecules. A Markov chain model demonstrates the convergence of amplified molecules to regular series of multiples of 2

We have simulated the properties of duplicating DNA molecules using a proba bilistic model. With the most simple assumptions, we show that the duplicat ing population converges to a stable stationary stale: the repetitive molec ules containing n repeats are two times more frequent than the repetitive m olecules containing n + 1 repeats, whatever the value of n. (C) Acadmie des Sciences / Elsevier, Paris.