Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 2: Computational Biophysics I
BP 2.1: Talk
Monday, March 9, 2026, 09:30–09:45, BAR/0106
Topology driven spatial organization of DNA-polymers in geometric confinement — •Debarshi Mitra1, Shreerang Pande2, and Apratim Chatterji2 — 1Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Hohe Strasse 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany — 2Dept. of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research-Pune (IISER-Pune), India-411008
The mechanism of chromosome segregation and organization in the bacterial cell cycle is one of its least understood aspects. The bacterial chromosome is often modeled as a bead spring ring polymer. We introduce cross-links in the DNA-ring polymer, resulting in the formation of loops within each replicating bacterial chromosome. We use simulations to show that the chosen polymer-topology ensures its self-organization along the cell long-axis, such that various chromosomal loci get spatially localized as seen in-vivo, in various growth conditions [1,2]. The organization arises only due to entropic repulsion between polymer loops of each daughter chromosome. We also reconcile observations from complementary experimental techniques probing the organization of the chromosome [1]. We further establish organizational principles for topologically modified polymers in various kinds of geometric confinement and discuss possible relevance to eukaryotic chromosomes.
[1] Debarshi Mitra Shreerang Pande, Apratim Chatterji. Soft Matter, 2022.
[2] Shreerang Pande, Debarshi Mitra, and Apratim Chatterji. Phys. Rev. E, 110(5), November 2024.
Keywords: chromosome organization; polymer topology; entropy; confined polymers; DNA-polymers