Related papers: Maturation of siRNA by strand separation: Steered …
A theory of the unzipping of double-stranded (ds) DNA is presented, and is compared to recent micromanipulation experiments. It is shown that the interactions which stabilize the double helix and the elastic rigidity of single strands (ss)…
DNA and RNA are generally regarded as central molecules in molecular biology. Recent advancements in the field of DNA/RNA nanotechnology successfully used DNA/RNA as programmable molecules to construct molecular machines and nanostructures…
RNA secondary structures of increasing complexity are probed combining single molecule stretching experiments and stochastic unfolding/refolding simulations. We find that force-induced unfolding pathways cannot usually be interpretated by…
We propose a simple nonlinear scaler displacement model to calculate the distribution of effect created by a shear stress on a double stranded DNA (dsDNA) molecule and the value of shear force $F_c$ which is required to separate the two…
Replication of single-stranded RNA virus can be complicated, compared to that of double-stranded virus, as it require production of intermediate antigenomic strands that then serve as template for the genomic-sense strands. Moreover, for…
Force-induced structural transitions both in relatively random and in designed single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) chains are studied theoretically. At high salt conditions, ssDNA forms compacted hairpin patterns stabilized by base-pairing and…
RNA folding is a kinetic process governed by the competition of a large number of structures stabilized by the transient formation of base pairs that may induce complex folding pathways and the formation of misfolded structures. Despite of…
A double stranded DNA molecule under the stress of a pulling force acting on the strand terminals exhibits a partially denatured structure or can be completely unzipped depending the magnitude of the pulling force. A scaling argument for…
The accurate knowledge of the elastic properties of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is key to characterize the thermodynamics of molecular reactions that are studied by force spectroscopy methods where DNA is mechanically unfolded. Examples…
Bacteria reside in constantly changing environments and require rapid and precise adjustments of gene expression to ensure survival. Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are a crucial element that bacteria utilize to achieve this. sRNAs are short…
We study the thermodynamics and kinetics of an RNA toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction with a recently developed coarse-grained model of RNA. Strand displacement, during which a single strand displaces a different strand…
The functioning of double-stranded (ds) nucleic acids (NAs) in cellular processes is strongly mediated by their elastic response. These processes involve proteins that interact with dsDNA or dsRNA and distort their structures. The…
Although RNAs play many cellular functions little is known about the dynamics and thermodynamics of these molecules. In principle, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations can investigate these issues, but with current computer facilities,…
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is powerful technology that allows researchers to understand gene expression patterns at the single-cell level. However, analysing scRNA-seq data is challenging due to issues and biases in data…
We study the unzipping of a double stranded DNA (dsDNA) by applying an external force on a single strand while leaving the other strand free. We find that the dsDNA can be unzipped to two single strands if the external force exceeds a…
Renaturation of complementary single strands of DNA is one of the important processes that requires better understanding in the view of molecular biology and biological physics. Here we develop a stochastic dynamical model on the DNA…
A wealth of new research has highlighted the critical roles of small RNAs (sRNAs) in diverse processes such as quorum sensing and cellular responses to stress. The pathways controlling these processes often have a central motif comprising…
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…
Exact numerical methods and stochastic simulation methods are developed to study the force stretching single RNA issue on the secondary structure level in equilibrium. By computing the force-extension curves on the constant force and the…
The process of RNA base fraying (i.e. the transient opening of the termini of a helix) is involved in many aspects of RNA dynamics. We here use molecular dynamics simulations and Markov state models to characterize the kinetics of RNA…