Related papers: Probing DNA conformational changes with high tempo…
The precision of biochemical signaling is limited by randomness in the diffusive arrival of molecules at their targets. For proteins binding to the specific sites on the DNA and regulating transcription, the ability of the proteins to…
We report an accurate method to determine DNA barcodes from the dwell time measurement of protein tags (barcodes) along the DNA backbone using Brownian dynamics simulation of a model DNA and use a recursive theoretical scheme which improves…
The choice of structural resolution is a fundamental aspect of protein modelling, determining the balance between descriptive power and interpretability. Although atomistic simulations provide maximal detail, much of this information is…
Particle tracking microrheology (PT-$\mu$r) exploits the thermal motion of embedded particles to probe the local mechanical properties of soft materials. Despite its appealing conceptual simplicity, PT-$\mu$r requires calibration procedures…
To perform recognition, molecules must locate and specifically bind their targets within a noisy biochemical environment with many look-alikes. Molecular recognition processes, especially the induced-fit mechanism, are known to involve…
Detecting conformational transitions in molecular systems is key to understanding biological processes. Here, we investigate the force variance in single-molecule pulling experiments as an indicator of molecular folding transitions. We…
Diffusive transport in many complex systems features a crossover between anomalous diffusion at short times and normal diffusion at long times. This behavior can be mathematically modeled by cutting off (tempering) beyond a mesoscopic…
We present a self-contained theory for the mechanical response of DNA in single molecule experiments. Our model is based on a 1D continuum description of the DNA molecule and accounts both for its elasticity and for DNA-DNA electrostatic…
A versatile approach to modeling the conformations and energetics of DNA loops is presented. The model is based on the classical theory of elasticity, modified to describe the intrinsic twist and curvature of DNA, the DNA bending…
Circular Dyson Brownian motion describes the Brownian dynamics of particles on a circle (periodic boundary conditions), interacting through a logarithmic, long-range two-body potential. Within the log-gas picture of random matrix theory, it…
Particle tracking in biological imaging is concerned with reconstructing the trajectories, locations, or velocities of the targeting particles. The standard approach of particle tracking consists of two steps: first reconstructing…
We introduce a model of thermalized conformations in space of RNA -or single stranded DNA- molecules, which includes the possibility of hairpin formation. This model contains the usual secondary structure information, but extends it to the…
Nanoparticles tethered with DNA strands are promising building blocks for bottom-up nanotechnology, and a theoretical understanding is important for future development. Here we build on approaches developed in polymer physics to provide…
Previous work shows that a net directed motion arises from a system of individual particles undergoing run-and-tumble dynamics in the presence of an array of asymmetric barriers. Here, we show that when the individual particle is replaced…
The dynamic behavior of semi-dilute polymer solutions is governed by an interplay between solvent quality, concentration, molecular weight, and flow type. Semi-dilute solutions are characterized by large fluctuations in concentration,…
Polymer composites are ubiquitous in biology and industry alike, owing to their emergent desirable mechanical properties not attainable in single-species systems. At the same time, polymer topology has been shown to play a key role in…
We study the Brownian motion of a particle in a bounded circular 2-dimensional domain, in search for a stationary target on the boundary of the domain. The process switches between two modes: one where it performs a two-dimensional…
The closure dynamics of a pre-equilibrated DNA denaturation bubble is studied using both Brownian dynamics simulations and an analytical approach. The numerical model consists of two semi-flexible interacting single strands (ssDNA) and a…
The competition between toroidal and rod-like conformations as possible ground states for DNA condensation is studied as a function of the stiffness, the length of the DNA and the form of the long-range interactions between neighboring…
Complex DNA topological structures, including polymer loops, are frequently observed in biological processes when protein molecules simultaneously bind to several distant sites on DNA. However, the molecular mechanisms of formation of these…