Polymer Looping Is Controlled by Macromolecular Crowding, Spatial Confinement, and Chain Stiffness.
Polymer Looping Is Controlled by Macromolecular Crowding, Spatial Confinement, and Chain Stiffness.
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DOI：
10.1021/mz500709w
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发表时间：
2015-01
影响因子：
5.8
通讯作者：
Jaeoh Shin;Andrey G. Cherstvy;R. Metzler
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Jaeoh Shin;Andrey G. Cherstvy;R. Metzler
我们通过大量的计算机模拟研究了在大分子拥挤的情况下，线性聚合物在球形空腔内具有不同持续长度的成环特性。对于刚性链，循环概率和循环时间揭示了作为链长的函数的剧烈振荡模式。拥挤的影响显着不同的柔性与刚性聚合物。而对于柔性链的成环动力学减慢的拥挤，刚性链的动力学变成要么减少或促进，这取决于聚合物的长度。对于严重的限制，成环动力学可能会变得非常容易拥挤。我们的研究结果对活生物细胞中拥挤和分隔的内部DNA循环具有广泛的影响。
We study by extensive computer simulations the looping characteristics of linear polymers with varying persistence length inside a spherical cavity in the presence of macromolecular crowding. For stiff chains, the looping probability and looping time reveal wildly oscillating patterns as functions of the chain length. The effects of crowding differ dramatically for flexible versus stiff polymers. While for flexible chains the looping kinetics is slowed down by the crowders, for stiffer chains the kinetics turns out to be either decreased or facilitated, depending on the polymer length. For severe confinement, the looping kinetics may become strongly facilitated by crowding. Our findings are of broad impact for DNA looping in the crowded and compartmentalized interior of living biological cells.