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Improving 2D and 3D Skin In Vitro Models Using Macromolecular Crowding
Published on: August 22, 2016
Compression of random coils due to macromolecular crowding
C Le Coeur1, B Demé, S Longeville
1Laboratoire Léon Brillouin, CEA-CNRS, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Abstract:
The conformation of a linear polymer chain is studied as a function of the concentration of a macromolecular crowding agent by neutron scattering. Excluded volume to random coil due to macromolecular crowding in cells is predicted to exert a compressive force that will tend to reduce its size. It is shown that when reducing free volume due to macromolecular crowding, we observe a compression of the polymer chain with a reduction in its radius of gyration of up to approximately 30% and that the effective chain-chain interactions are strongly modified.
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