Speaker
Bae-Yeun Ha
Description
Cells organize their chromosomes through the coordinated action of chromosome-associated proteins and surrounding molecular crowders. In crowded environments, polymeric chains such as chromosomes can undergo entropically driven condensation. Using a coarse-grained computational model, we examine the physical roles of the cross-linking protein H-NS and crowders in bacterial chromosome organization. Our results reveal a two-way synergy: crowding enhances H-NS binding, while H-NS amplifies crowding-induced compaction. We further find that increased chain stiffness strengthens this synergistic effect.
| Keyword-1 | chromosome organization |
|---|---|
| Keyword-2 | molecular crowding |
| Keyword-3 | computational modeling |