The Physics of DNA Folding: Polymer Models and Phase-Separation

Polymers

Antonella Prisco¹  Andrea Esposito²  Simona Bianco²  Francesca Vercellone²  Mattia Conte²  Alex Abraham²  Andrea M. Chiariello² 

[1] CNR-IGB, Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy;Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Napoli Federico II, INFN Napoli, Complesso Universitario di Monte Sant’Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy;

关键词: phase-separation;    chromatin organization;    polymer physics;    gene regulation;    molecular dynamics;    phase transitions;   

DOI  :  10.3390/polym14091918

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Within cell nuclei, several biophysical processes occur in order to allow the correct activities of the genome such as transcription and gene regulation. To quantitatively investigate such processes, polymer physics models have been developed to unveil the molecular mechanisms underlying genome functions. Among these, phase-separation plays a key role since it controls gene activity and shapes chromatin spatial structure. In this paper, we review some recent experimental and theoretical progress in the field and show that polymer physics in synergy with numerical simulations can be helpful for several purposes, including the study of molecular condensates, gene-enhancer dynamics, and the three-dimensional reconstruction of real genomic regions.

【 授权许可】

Unknown