DNA-DNA interactions in bacteriophage capsids are responsible for the observed DNA knotting.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_89D4E77514A2
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
DNA-DNA interactions in bacteriophage capsids are responsible for the observed DNA knotting.
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Author(s)
Marenduzzo D., Orlandini E., Stasiak A., Sumners de W, Tubiana L., Micheletti C.
ISSN
1091-6490[electronic], 0027-8424[linking]
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2009
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
106
Number
52
Pages
22269-22274
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: ppublish
Abstract
Recent experiments showed that the linear double-stranded DNA in bacteriophage capsids is both highly knotted and neatly structured. What is the physical basis of this organization? Here we show evidence from stochastic simulation techniques that suggests that a key element is the tendency of contacting DNA strands to order, as in cholesteric liquid crystals. This interaction favors their preferential juxtaposition at a small twist angle, thus promoting an approximately nematic (and apolar) local order. The ordering effect dramatically impacts the geometry and topology of DNA inside phages. Accounting for this local potential allows us to reproduce the main experimental data on DNA organization in phages, including the cryo-EM observations and detailed features of the spectrum of DNA knots formed inside viral capsids. The DNA knots we observe are strongly delocalized and, intriguingly, this is shown not to interfere with genome ejection out of the phage.
Keywords
Bacteriophages/chemistry, Biophysical Phenomena, Capsid/chemistry, Cryoelectron Microscopy, DNA Packaging, DNA, Viral/chemistry, Models, Molecular, Monte Carlo Method, Nucleic Acid Conformation, Stochastic Processes, Thermodynamics
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
28/01/2010 9:02
Last modification date
20/08/2019 14:48
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