Berlin 2008 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 30: Polymerphysics II

CPP 30.4: Talk

Thursday, February 28, 2008, 14:45–15:00, C 130

Topological aspects in random copolymer globules — •Daniel Bölinger, Hsiao-Ping Hsu, and Peter Virnau — Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg-University, 55099 Mainz

Although globular homopolymers display an abundance of knots [1], little is known about the topology and the degree of entanglement in copolymer globules. To this end we investigated globular structures which were generated with numerical simulations of the HP model using the nPERMis algorithm [2]. In this talk we will highlight structural and topological differences between homopolymer and random copolymer globules and demonstrate that entanglements are greatly reduced in copolymer structures. These results also shed some light on the longstanding controversy why only few knots have been observed in experimentally determined protein structures.

[1] P. Virnau, Y. Kantor, and M. Kardar, J. Am. Chem. Soc 127, 15102 (2005).

[2] H.P. Hsu, V. Mehra, W. Nadler and P. Grasberger, J. Chem. Phys. 118, 441 (2003).