title: Minimal model of transcriptional elongation processes with pauses.
abstract: Fundamental biological processes such as transcription and translation, where a genetic sequence is sequentially read by a macromolecule, have been well described by a classical model of nonequilibrium statistical physics, the totally asymmetric exclusion principle (TASEP). This model describes particles hopping between sites of a one-dimensional lattice, with the particle current determining the transcription or translation rate. An open problem is how to analyze a TASEP where particles can pause randomly, as has been observed during transcription. In this work, we report that surprisingly, a simple mean-field model predicts well the particle current for all values of the average pause duration, using a simple description of blocking behind paused particles.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes, et Molécules, Université Lille 1, CNRS UMR 8523, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: Jingkui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes, et Molécules, Université Lille 1, CNRS UMR 8523, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pfeuty
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes, et Molécules, Université Lille 1, CNRS UMR 8523, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: Quentin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Thommen
authors.affiliation: SUPA, Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, United Kingdom and Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers, Atomes, et Molécules, Université Lille 1, CNRS UMR 8523, F-59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lefranc