Related papers: Transitions between distinct compaction regimes in…
Studies of circular DNA confined to nanofluidic channels are relevant both from a fundamental polymer-physics perspective and due to the importance of circular DNA molecules in vivo. We here observe the unfolding of DNA from the circular to…
Cationic lipid membranes are known to form compact complexes with DNA and to be effective as gene delivery agents both in vitro and in vivo. Here we employ molecular dynamics simulations for a detailed atomistic study of lipid bilayers…
The volume occupied by unconstrained bacterial DNA in physiological solutions exceeds 1000 times the volume of the cell. Still, it is confined to a well defined region of the cell called the nucleoid, which occupies only a fraction of the…
We present theoretical work in which the degree of electrostatic coupling across a charged lipid bilayer in aqueous solution is analyzed on the basis of nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann theory. In particular, we consider the electrostatic…
Single-molecule experiments provide new insights into biological processes hitherto not accessible by measurements performed on bulk systems. We report on a study of the kinetics of a triple-branch DNA molecule with four conformational…
We predict the existence of a totally new class of phases in weakly coupled, three-dimensional stacks of two-dimensional (2D) XY-models. These ``sliding phases'' behave essentially like decoupled, independent 2D XY-models with precisely…
Engineering the synthetic nanopores through lipid bilayer membrane to access the interior of a cell is a long persisting challenge in biotechnology. Here, we demonstrate the stability and dynamics of a tile-based 6-helix DNA nanotube (DNT)…
DNA is now firmly established as a versatile and robust platform for achieving synthetic nanostructures. While the folding of single molecules into complex structures is routinely achieved through engineering basepair sequences, much less…
Cells regulate gene expression in part by forming DNA-protein condensates in the nucleus. While existing theories describe the equilibrium size and stability of such condensates, their dynamics remain less understood. Here, we use…
Strongly correlated electrostatics of DNA systems has drawn the interest of many groups, especially the condensation and overcharging of DNA by multivalent counterions. By adding counterions of different valencies and shapes, one can…
In this paper we investigate the effects of varying cation valency and concentration on the rheology of entangled lambda DNA solutions. We show that monovalent cations moderately increase the viscoelasticty of the solutions mainly by…
We characterize the equilibrium thermodynamics of a thick polymer confined in a spherical region of space. This is used to gain insight into the DNA packaging process. The experimental reference system for the present study is the recent…
Concentrated solutions of short blunt-ended DNA duplexes, down to 6 base pairs, are known to order into the nematic liquid crystal phase. This self-assembly is due to the stacking interactions between the duplex terminals that promotes…
Base stacking is crucial in nucleic acid stabilization, from DNA duplex hybridization to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) protein binding. While stacking energies are tiny in ssDNA, they are inextricably mixed with hydrogen bonding in DNA base…
The Histone-like Nucleoid Structuring protein (H-NS) is a nucleoid-associated protein, which is involved in both gene regulation and DNA compaction. H-NS can bind to DNA in two different ways: in trans, by binding to two separate DNA…
DNA data storage offers a high-density, long-term alternative to traditional storage systems, addressing the exponential growth of digital data. Composite DNA extends this paradigm by leveraging mixtures of nucleotides to increase storage…
Our study aims at a better control and understanding of the transfer of a complex [DNA supercoiled plasmid - dodecyltrimethylammonium surfactant] layer from a liquid-vapour water interface onto a silicon surface without any additional…
The unconstrained genomic DNA of bacteria forms a coil, which volume exceeds 1000 times the volume of the cell. Since prokaryotes lack a membrane-bound nucleus, in sharp contrast with eukaryotes, the DNA may consequently be expected to…
The double-helical structure of DNA results from canonical base pairing and stacking interactions. However, variations from steady-state conformations result from mechanical perturbations in cells. These different topologies have…
Metropolis Monte Carlo simulation is used to investigate the elasticity of torsionally stressed double-stranded DNA, in which twist and supercoiling are incorporated as a natural result of base-stacking interaction and backbone bending…