title: RNA condensation and the wetting transition.
abstract: We present a continuum theory for the condensation of large, soluble, single-stranded RNA molecules on attractive substrates. In the mean-field approximation, the theory reduces to the Cahn-de Gennes description of wetting fluids and offers a natural explanation for the development of a sharply defined density profile following a prewetting surface phase transition. This mapping onto the wetting problem can break down because of a capillary instability where the adsorbed film decomposes into a collection of segregated, nonoverlapping molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California-Los Angeles, 475 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Toan T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Robijn F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Bruinsma
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D001703:Biophysics / Q000379:methods*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D044367:Phase Transition; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA