Berlin 2005 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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CPP: Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 25: Biological systems I

CPP 25.3: Vortrag

Dienstag, 8. März 2005, 14:30–14:45, TU C230

Statistical physics of a single DNA chain and its interaction with binding proteins — •Ralf Metzler — NORDITA, Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100 Copenhagen OE

In my talk I want to illustrate the multiscale nature of the behaviour of DNA and its interaction with binding proteins (transcription factors that regulate gene expression, and repair proteins): starting from the scale of single base-pairs, I will introduce some basic models on how transcription factors guarantee the high stability of gene regulation. A rather new finding is that in fact the largest number of transciption factors appears to be bound non-specifically, posing new questions to the dynamical modelling of gene regulation. On a ‘mesoscopic’ level of dozens of base-pairs, I will move to the interaction of fluctuating DNA-bubbles and single-strand binding proteins, introducing a dynamical modelling of the protein binding that is necessary as binding kinetics and bubble lifetimes are competing. Finally, on the level of the entire DNA, I will discuss the relevance of the DNA topology on physiological processes such as transcription, and the interaction of topological defects (knots, catenanes) with repair proteins.

References: A Bakk and R Metzler, FEBS Lett 563 (2004), A Bakk et al, Biophys J 86 (2004); A Hanke and R Metzler, J Phys A Lett L473 (2003); R Metzler et al, Phys Rev Lett 88 (2002).