Issue |
EPL
Volume 100, Number 4, November 2012
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 48001 | |
Number of page(s) | 5 | |
Section | Interdisciplinary Physics and Related Areas of Science and Technology | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/100/48001 | |
Published online | 28 November 2012 |
Nucleosome response to tension and torque
Instituut Lorentz voor de theoretische natuurkunde, Universiteit Leiden - P.O. Box 9506, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands, EU
(a) schiessel@lorentz.leidenuniv.nl
Received: 26 July 2012
Accepted: 31 October 2012
We investigate the combined effect of torque and force on a nucleosome, the most abundant DNA-protein complex in eukaryotic cells. Using the worm-like chain model (WLC) we show how low positive torques ease the unwrapping of the DNA from the nucleosome. Remarkably a combination of high forces and high negative torques favors DNA unwrapping as well. The theory is also applicable beyond nucleosomes, namely whenever DNA spools are involved.
PACS: 87.14.gk – DNA / 87.16.Sr – Chromosomes, histones / 87.15.ad – Analytical theories
© EPLA, 2012
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