Dresden 2017 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 58: DNA & RNA

BP 58.2: Vortrag

Freitag, 24. März 2017, 09:45–10:00, ZEU 250

Dynamic Organization of Bacterial Chromosome by SMC Condensin — •Christiaan Adrianus Miermans and Chase Broedersz — Arnold-Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München

The bacterial chromosome is highly structured across a wide range of length-scales, extending up to the full length of the genome. Recent Hi-C experiments provide evidence for anomalously high contacts between opposite pairs of DNA loci -- millions of basepairs apart -- on the left and right chromosome arms. These striking long-range contacts in Hi-C contact maps have been attributed to a variety of nucleoid-associated proteins, including the highly conserved ATPase SMC condensin. Although the microscopic structure of these ATPases has been mapped in detail, how SMC condensins are able to effect these long-range chromosomal contacts in living cells remains an open question. We present a minimal model for the physical mechanisms for the large-scale DNA organization by SMC condensin. Our simulations indicate that condensin is not able to generate long-range DNA-DNA contacts under equilibrium conditions. In contrast, the inclusion of non-equilibrium dynamics in our model for condensin-DNA interactions gives rise to robust long-range chromosomal contacts. Taken together, our model suggests a novel mechanism for how protein-DNA interactions can dynamically drive chromosome organization in bacteria.