Equilibrium structure and deformation response of 2D kinetoplast sheets

The considerable interest in two-dimensional (2D) materials and complex molecular topologies calls for a robust experimental system for single-molecule studies. In this work, we study the equilibrium properties and deformation response of a complex DNA structure called a kinetoplast, a 2D network of thousands of linked rings akin to molecular chainmail. Examined in good solvent conditions, kinetoplasts appear as a wrinkled hemispherical sheet. The conformation of each kinetoplast is dictated by its network topology, giving it a unique shape, which undergoes small-amplitude thermal fluctuations at subsecond timescales, with a wide separation between fluctuation and diffusion timescales. They deform elastically when weakly confined and swell to their equilibrium dimensions when the confinement is released. We hope that, in the same way that linear DNA became a canonical model system on the first investigations of its polymer-like behavior, kinetoplasts can serve that role for 2D and catenated polymer systems.