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Crowding-induced interactions of ring polymers.

Gaurav Chauhan1, Michael L Simpson, Steven M Abel

  • 1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA. abel@utk.edu.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Macromolecular crowding compacts ring polymers and enhances their interactions. This study quantifies crowding effects on polymer interactions and surface adsorption, offering insights for biological and cell-free systems.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Polymer Physics
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Macromolecular crowding and surfaces influence biopolymer organization.
  • Crowding-induced depletion interactions are crucial in biological systems.
  • Understanding crowding effects on DNA plasmids and polymer interactions is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of crowding on flexible ring polymers.
  • To quantify polymer-polymer and polymer-surface interactions in crowded environments.
  • To provide quantitative insights into depletion interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Langevin dynamics simulations were employed.
  • Umbrella sampling was used to determine the potential of mean force (PMF).
  • Simulations were conducted at various crowding particle volume fractions (φ).

Main Results:

  • Crowding led to compaction of isolated ring polymers.
  • Enhanced interactions were observed between otherwise repulsive polymers.
  • Effective attraction between polymers emerged at φ≈ 0.4.
  • Strong adsorption of ring polymers to a wall was observed, with effective attraction at φ≈ 0.2.

Conclusions:

  • Crowding significantly alters polymer spatial organization and interactions.
  • Depletion interactions were quantified in a biologically relevant model.
  • Crowding can be utilized to tune interactions in cellular and cell-free systems.