Related papers: A thermodynamic switch for chromosome colocalizati…
In eukaryotic cell nuclei, a variety of DNA interactions with nuclear elements occur, which, in combination with intra- and inter- chromosomal cross-talks, shape a functional 3D architecture. In some cases they are organized by active, i.e.…
The architecture of the eukaryotic genome is characterized by a high degree of spatial organization. Chromosomes occupy preferred territories correlated to their state of activity and, yet, displace their genes to interact with remote sites…
At the onset of X Chromosomes Inactivation, the vital process whereby female mammal cells equalize X products with respect to males, the X chromosomes are colocalized along their Xic (X-Inactivation Center) regions. The mechanism inducing…
We propose a new strategy to improve the self-assembly properties of DNA-functionalised colloids. The problem that we address is that DNA-functionalised colloids typically crystallize in a narrow temperature window, if at all. The…
The thermodynamical properties of heterogeneous DNA sequences are computed by path integral techniques applied to a nonlinear model Hamiltonian. The base pairs relative displacements are interpreted as time dependent paths whose amplitudes…
A theory for thermomechanical behavior of homogeneous DNA at thermal equilibrium predicts critical temperatures for denaturation under torque and stretch, phase diagrams for stable B--DNA, supercoiling, optimally stable torque, and the…
Chain-like macromolecules in solution, whether biological or synthetic, transform from a spatially extended conformation to a compact one upon change of temperature or solvent qualities. This sharp transition plays a key role in various…
We studied how the inhomogeneity of a sequence affects the phase transition that takes place at DNA melting. Unlike previous works, which considered thermodynamic quantities averaged over many different inhomogeneous sequences, we focused…
We propose a dynamical model for the secondary structure of DNA, which is based on the finite stacking enthalpies used in thermodynamics calculations. In this model, the two strands can separate and the bases are allowed to rotate…
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…
The approach for the description of the DNA conformational transformations on the mesoscopic scales in the frame of the double helix is presented. Due to consideration of the joint motions of DNA structural elements along the conformational…
Transcriptional activity has been shown to relate to the organization of chromosomes in the eukaryotic nucleus and in the bacterial nucleoid. In particular, highly transcribed genes, RNA polymerases and transcription factors gather into…
We propose a new statistical mechanics model for the melting transition of DNA. Base pairing and stacking are treated as separate degrees of freedom, and the interplay between pairing and stacking is described by a set of local rules which…
Colloidal particles with DNA `legs' that can bind reversibly to receptors on a surface can be made to `walk' if there is a gradient in receptor concentration. We use a combination of theory and Monte Carlo simulations to explore how…
Heterogeneous nucleation is central to many familiar first-order phase transitions such as the freezing of water and the solidification of metals, and it can also play a crucial role in cosmology. We examine nucleation seeded by preexisting…
To characterize the thermodynamical equilibrium of DNA chains interacting with a solution of non-specific binding proteins, a Flory-Huggins free energy model was implemented. We explored the dependence on DNA and protein concentrations of…
DNA has a well-defined structural transition -- the denaturation of its double-stranded form into two single strands -- that strongly affects its thermal transport properties. We show that, according to a widely implemented model for DNA…
The denaturation of the double helix is a template for fundamental biological functions such as replication and transcription involving the formation of local fluctuational openings. The denaturation transition is studied for heterogeneous…
In this letter, we characterize experimentally the diffusiophoretic motion of colloids and lambda- DNA toward higher concentration of solutes, using microfluidic technology to build spatially- and temporally-controlled concentration…
Phase-separated biomolecular condensates containing proteins and RNAs can assemble into higher-order structures by forming thermodynamically stable interfaces between immiscible phases. Using a minimal model of a protein/RNA interaction…