Related papers: Dynamics of DNA Ejection From Bacteriophage
Simple RNA viruses efficiently encapsulate their genome into a nano-sized protein shell: the capsid. Spontaneous co-assembly of the genome and the capsid proteins is driven predominantly by electrostatic interactions between the negatively…
The ability of eukaryotic cells to squeeze through constrictions is limited by the stiffness of their large and rigid nucleus. However, migrating cells are often able to overcome this limitation and pass through constrictions much smaller…
Particles with ligand-receptor contacts bind and unbind fluctuating "legs" to surfaces, whose fluctuations cause the particle to diffuse. Quantifying the diffusion of such "nanoscale caterpillars" is a challenge, since binding events often…
Gel electrophoresis allows to separate knotted DNA (nicked circular) of equal length according to the knot type. At low electric fields, complex knots being more compact, drift faster than simpler knots. Recent experiments have shown that…
We study migration of DNA molecules through a microchannel with a series of electric traps controlled by an ac electric field. We describe the motion of DNA based on Brownian dynamics simulations of a beads-spring chain. Our simulation…
In many viruses, hundreds of proteins assemble an outer shell (capsid) around the viral nucleic acid to form an infectious virion. How the assembly process selects the viral genome amidst a vast excess of diverse cellular nucleic acids is…
Single-stranded RNA viruses efficiently encapsulate their genome into a protein shell called the capsid. Electrostatic interactions between the positive charges in the capsid protein's N-terminal tail and the negatively charged genome have…
The problem of transport through nanochannels is one of the major questions in cell biology, with a wide range of applications. Brownian ratchets are fundamental in various biochemical processes, and are roughly divided into two categories:…
A liquid crystal continuum modeling framework for icosahedra bacteriophage viruses is developed and tested. The main assumptions of the model are the chromonic columnar hexagonal structure of confined DNA, the high resistance to bending and…
The Ludwig-Soret effect, the migration of a species due to a temperature gradient, has been extensively studied without a complete picture of its cause emerging. Here we investigate the dynamics of DNA and spherical particles sub jected to…
The effective DNA-DNA interaction force is calculated by computer simulations with explicit tetravalent counterions and monovalent salt. For overcharged DNA molecules, the interaction force shows a double-minimum structure. The positions…
Most living systems rely on double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) to store their genetic information and perpetuate themselves. This biological information has been considered the main target of evolution. However, here we show that symmetries and…
The spatial organization of DNA involves DNA loop extrusion and the formation of protein-DNA condensates. While the significance of each process is increasingly recognized, their interplay remains unexplored. Using molecular dynamics…
Virus trafficking is fundamental for infection success and plasmid cytosolic trafficking is a key step of gene delivery. Based on the main physical properties of the cellular transport machinery such as microtubules, motor proteins, our…
Transcription is the first step of gene expression, in which a particular segment of DNA is copied to RNA by the enzyme RNA polymerase (RNAP). Despite many details of the complex interactions between DNA and RNA synthesis disclosed…
We studied the electrical conductivity of DNA molecules with conducting atomic force microscopy as a function of the chemical nature of the substrate surfaces, the nature of the electrical contact, and the number of DNA molecules (from a…
We investigate the translocation of a single stranded DNA through a pore which fluctuates between two conformations, using coupled master equations. The probability density function of the first passage times (FPT) of the translocation…
We report studies of the equilibrium and the dynamics of a general set of lattice models which capture the essence of the force-induced or mechanical DNA unzipping transition. Besides yielding the whole equilibrium phase diagram in the…
The DNA molecule, apart from carrying the genetic information, plays a crucial role in a variety of biological processes and find applications in drug design, nanotechnology and nanoelectronics. The molecule undergoes significant structural…
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…