Conformations of confined biopolymers.
Nanoscale and microscale confinement of biopolymers naturally occurs in cells and has been recently achieved in artificial structures designed for nanotechnological applications. Here, we present an extensive theoretical investigation of the conformations and shape of a biopolymer with varying stiffness confined to a narrow channel. Combining scaling arguments, analytical calculations, and Monte Carlo simulations, we identify various scaling regimes where master curves quantify the functional dependence of the polymer conformations on the chain stiffness and strength of confinement.
Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Theresienstrasse 37, München, Germany.
Frederik
F
Wagner
Gianluca
G
Lattanzi
Erwin
E
Frey
D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
D001704:Biopolymers