Abstract
A confined DNA molecule adopts various conformations, driven by entropy and constrained, in particular, by excluded volume interaction. But DNA also has some specific mechanical characteristics, such as twisting and bending elasticity. These properties influence the way DNA compacts itself inside the confined space, by favoring some conformations and impeding others. This situation is notably observed in E. Coli cells. Our model allows to simulate long polymer chains with given twist and bend elasticity constants, using the Monte Carlo method. Generating conformations with various twisting and bending rigidity gives detailed information on how DNA could be organized in such cells. By tuning the model with data from experiments on DNA mechanical properties, it becomes possible to make predictions on the DNA structure inside the cell nucleus.
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