Elastically driven linker aggregation between two semiflexible polyelectrolytes.
The behavior of mobile linkers connecting two semiflexible charged polymers, such as polyvalent counterions connecting DNA or F-actin chains, is studied theoretically. The chain bending rigidity induces an effective repulsion between linkers at large distances while the interchain electrostatic repulsion leads to an effective short-range interlinker attraction. We find a rounded phase transition from a dilute linker gas where the chains form large loops between linkers to a dense disordered linker fluid connecting parallel chains. The onset of chain pairing occurs within the rounded transition.
Borukhov
I
I
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Bruinsma
R F
RF
Gelbart
W M
WM
Liu
A J
AJ
D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D007477:Ions; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D055672:Static Electricity
D000199:Actins; D001704:Biopolymers; D007477:Ions; D004247:DNA