The 3D folding of mammalian DNA (chromatin) is tightly linked to its transcriptional activity, hence its understanding constitutes an important goal in biophysics. In this talk I present a poly- mer physics model to study the 3D folding of a chromatin segment. We find by simulations that, out of the sleuth of a priori possible topologies, only a handful are observed, characterised by an...
Polymer translocation — the process of pulling single filamentous molecules through narrow pores — has long been studied as an example of out-of-equilibrium statistical mechanics and for its rel- evance in DNA sequencing and biological processes. However, the case in which the polymer structure itself is deeply altered by translocation remains largely unexplored. Here, we address this...
Chromatin is a complex biopolymer of DNA and proteins that not only packages the genetic material in the nucleus but also controls gene expression. The interactions that stabilise the three-dimensional structure of chromatin are mediated by different proteins, often through out-of- equilibrium mechanisms. We have developed some powerful models to describe such interactions by averaging the...
