The role of topological constraints on condensed polymers and DNA in human cells

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• Mirny, L (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
• Monday 03 September 2012, 11:30-12:10
• Seminar Room 1, Newton Institute.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Mustapha Amrani.

Topological Dynamics in the Physical and Biological Sciences

Human DNA is two meters long and is folded into a structure that fits in a cell nucleus of just 5 microns in diameter. Recently developed Hi-C technique provides comprehensive information about genome folding. Our analysis of Hi-C data provides and biophysical polymer modeling show that scaling observed in the data is consistent with non-equilibrium and unknotted polymer state the crumpled (fractal) globule. We demonstrate that the fractal globule emerges as a result of polymer collapse and has a short lifetime, rapidly mixing while remaining largely unknotted. Long-time dynamics of a condensed polymer reveals that spatial and topological equilibration happen at vastly different time scales and that topological constrains have little effect on relatively short and flexible chains.

This talk is part of the Isaac Newton Institute Seminar Series series.

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