Related papers: Microscopic mechanism for cold denaturation
We present results from extensive molecular dynamics simulations of collapse transitions of hydrophobic polymers in explicit water focused on understanding effects of lengthscale of the hydrophobic surface and of attractive interactions on…
Inverted solubility--a crystal melting upon cooling--is observed in a handful of proteins, such as carbomonoxy hemoglobin and $\gamma$D-crystallin. In human $\gamma$D-crystallin, the phenomenon is associated with the mutation of the…
We study the static and dynamical properties of DNA in the vicinity of its melting transition, i.e. the separation of the two strands upon heating. The investigation is based on a simple mechanical model which includes the helicoidal…
This review focuses on the striking recent progress in solving for hydrophobic interactions between small inert molecules. We discuss several new understandings. Firstly, the _inverse _temperature phenomenology of hydrophobic interactions,…
Based on recent studies on hydrophobic interactions, it is devoted to investigate the directional nature of hydrophobic interactions. It means that the hydrophobic interactions are dependent on the relative orientations as the solutes tend…
The light scattered by cold atoms induces mutual optical forces between them, which can lead to bound states. In addition to the trapping potential, this light-induced interaction generates a velocity-dependent force which damps or…
Many proteins have the potential to aggregate into amyloid fibrils, which are associated with a wide range of human disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. In contrast to that of folded proteins, the thermodynamic stability…
The ultraviolet (UV) photodissociation of amorphous water ice at different ice temperatures is investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and analytical potentials. Previous MD calculations of UV photodissociation of amorphous…
The strength of hydrogen bonding in water is stronger than that of van der waals interaction, therefore water may play an important role in the process of hydrophobic effects. When a hydrophobic solute is dissolved into water, an interface…
The thermodynamics of hydration changes gradually from entropic for small solutes to enthalpic for large ones. The small-to-large crossover lengthscale of hydrophobic hydration depends on the thermodynamic conditions of the solvent such as…
A unifying theory of the denaturation transition of DNA, driven by temperature T or induced by an external mechanical torque Gamma is presented. Our model couples the hydrogen-bond opening and the untwisting of the helicoidal molecular…
Using a structure-based coarse-grained model of proteins, we study the mechanism of unfolding of knotted proteins through heating. We find that the dominant mechanisms of unfolding depend on the temperature applied and are generally…
A statistical model of homopolymer DNA, coupling internal base pair states (unbroken or broken) and external thermal chain fluctuations, is exactly solved using transfer kernel techniques. The dependence on temperature and DNA length of the…
Hydrophobicity is thought to be one of the primary forces driving the folding of proteins. On average, hydrophobic residues occur preferentially in the core, whereas polar residues tends to occur at the surface of a folded protein. By…
The molecular mechanism of the solvent motion that is required to instigate the protein structural relaxation above a critical hydration level or transition temperature has yet to be determined. In this work we use quasi-elastic neutron…
The aversion of hydrophobic solutes for water drives diverse interactions and assemblies across materials science, biology and beyond. % Here, we review the theoretical, computational and experimental developments which underpin a…
Freezing is a fundamental physical phenomenon that has been studied over many decades; yet the role played by surfaces in determining nucleation has remained elusive. Here we report direct computational evidence of surface induced…
Freezing and melting of large three-dimensional complex plasmas under microgravity conditions is investigated. The neutral gas pressure is used as a control parameter to trigger the phase changes: Complex plasma freezes (melts) by…
Extensive Monte Carlo folding simulations for four proteins of various structural classes are carried out, using a single atomistic potential. In all cases, collapse occurs at a very early stage, and proteins fold into their native-like…
The behavior of proteins near interfaces is relevant for biological and medical purposes. Previous results in bulk show that, when the protein concentration increases, the proteins unfold and, at higher concentrations, aggregate. Here, we…