An energetic model for macromolecules unraveling
Soft Condensed Matter
2013-04-03 v1 Biological Physics
Biomolecules
Abstract
We propose a simple approach, based on the minimization of the total (entropic plus unfolding) energy of a two-state system, describing the stretch-induced unfolding of macromolecules (proteins, silks, nanopolymers, DNA/RNA). The model is fully analytical and enlightens the role of the different energetic components regulating the unfolding evolution. As an explicit example of application we compare the analytical results with the titin Atomic Force Microscopy experiments showing the ability of the model to quantitatively reproduce the mechanical behavior of macromolecules unfolding.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1304.0747,
title = {An energetic model for macromolecules unraveling},
author = {Domenico De Tommasi and Nicola Millardi and Giuseppe Puglisi and Giuseppe Saccomandi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1304.0747},
year = {2013}
}