Related papers: Bistable protein distributions in rod-shaped bacte…
We model an enclosed system of bacteria, whose motility-induced phase separation is coupled to slow population dynamics. Without noise, the system shows both static phase separation and a limit cycle, in which a rising global population…
Faithful segregation of genetic material during cell division requires alignment of chromosomes between two spindle poles and attachment of their kinetochores to each of the poles. Failure of these complex dynamical processes leads to…
Cell polarization requires redistribution of specific proteins to the nascent front and back of a eukarytotic cell. Among these proteins are Rac and Rho, members of the small GTPase family that regulate the actin cytoskeleton. Rac promotes…
We present a large-scale numerical study, supplemented by experimental observations, of a quasi-two-dimensional active system of polar rods and spherical beads confined between two horizontal plates and energised by vertical vibration. For…
Spatial heterogeneity is a hallmark of living systems, even at the molecular scale in individual cells. A key example is the partitioning of membrane-bound proteins via lipid domain formation or cytoskeleton-induced corralling. Yet the…
With the help of lattice Monte Carlo modelling of heteropolymers, we show that the necessary condition for a protein to fold on short call is to proceed through partially folded intermediates. These elementary structures are formed at an…
Theories of protein crystallization based on spheres that form close-packed crystals predict optimal assembly within a `slot' of second virial coefficients and enhanced assembly near the metastable liquid-vapor critical point. However, most…
Protein aggregation in the form of amyloid fibrils has important biological and technological implications. Although the self-assembly process is highly efficient, aggregates not in the fibrillar form would also occur and it is important to…
The combination of protrusions and retractions in the movement of polarized cells leads to understand the effect of possible synchronisation between the two ends of the cells. This synchronisation, in turn, could lead to different dynamics…
We study self-propelled particles with velocity reversal interacting by uniaxial (nematic) alignment within a coarse-grained hydrodynamic theory. Combining analytical and numerical continuation techniques, we show that the physics of this…
Bacteria are prolific at colonizing diverse surfaces under a widerange of environmental conditions, and exhibit fascinating examples of self-organization across scales. Though it has recently attracted considerable interest, the role of…
Cells employ control strategies to maintain a stable size. Dividing at a target size (the `sizer' strategy) is thought to produce the tightest size distribution. However, this result follows from phenomenological models that ignore the…
Solving population balance equations, we derive analytical steady-state cell size distributions for single-lineage experiments, such as the mother machine. These experiments are fundamentally different from batch cultures where populations…
Conformation of a protein (CorA) is examined in a matrix with mobile solute constituents as a function of solute-residue interaction strength (f) by a coarse-grained model with a Monte Carlo simulation. Solute particles are found to reach…
Successful cell division requires a tight regulation of chromosome motion via the activity of molecular motors. Many of the key players at the origin of the forces generating the movement have been identified, but their spatial and temporal…
We investigate the folding behavior of protein sequences by numerically studying all sequences with maximally compact lattice model through exhaustive enumeration. We get the prion-like behavior of protein folding. Individual proteins…
The regulation of cellular function is often controlled at the level of gene transcription. Such genetic regulation usually consists of interacting networks, whereby gene products from a single network can act to control their own…
It has recently been proposed that proteins embedded in lipidic bio-membranes can spontaneously self-organize into stable small clusters, or membrane nano-domains, due to the competition between short-range attractive and longer-range…
We investigate the emergence of global alignment in colonies of dividing rod-shaped cells under confinement. Using molecular dynamics simulations and continuous modeling, we demonstrate that geometrical anisotropies in the confining…
We study, in two space dimensions, the large-scale properties of collections of constant-speed polar point particles interacting locally by nematic alignment in the presence of noise. This minimal approach to self-propelled rods allows one…