Vilar Jose M G, Saiz Leonor
Integrative Biological Modeling Laboratory, Computational Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Jun 16;96(23):238103. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.238103. Epub 2006 Jun 15.
DNA looping plays a fundamental role in a wide variety of biological processes, providing the backbone for long range interactions on DNA. Here we develop the first model for DNA looping by an arbitrarily large number of proteins and solve it analytically in the case of identical binding. We uncover a switchlike transition between looped and unlooped phases and identify the key parameters that control this transition. Our results establish the basis for the quantitative understanding of fundamental cellular processes like DNA recombination, gene silencing, and telomere maintenance.
DNA环化在多种生物学过程中发挥着基础性作用，为DNA上的长程相互作用提供了主干支撑。在此，我们开发了首个关于任意数量蛋白质介导的DNA环化模型，并在相同结合的情况下对其进行了解析求解。我们揭示了环化相和非环化相之间的类似开关的转变，并确定了控制这种转变的关键参数。我们的结果为定量理解DNA重组、基因沉默和端粒维持等基本细胞过程奠定了基础。
