The Genome as a Flexible Polymer Chain

Abstract

For most of its large-scale structural features, DNA can be regarded as a string-like flexible polymer. Its higher folding units such as chromatin and chromosomes can in turn be regarded as flexible linear chains. The structure and dynamics of such chain molecules are determined by intramolecular elastic, electrostatic and hydrodynamic interactions. We have developed Monte-Carlo (MC) and Brownian dynamics (BD) models which are used in connection with solution scattering, optical and scanning microscopy and hydrodynamic techniques to describe the structure and dynamics of DNA, chromatin and chromosomes.