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SUMMARY:Elasticity as the basis of allosteric interactions in DNA and memb
 ranes - Prof Prashant K Purohit\, University of Pennsylvania
DTSTART:20181012T130000Z
DTEND:20181012T140000Z
UID:TALK109084@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Hilde Hambro
DESCRIPTION:: In mechanics the forces of interaction between defects in an
  elastic solid are well understood. Just as defects produce local elastic 
 fields in a solid\, proteins binding to DNA also deform it locally. Since 
 DNA behaves like an elastic rod at scales of a few tens of nanometers\, we
  expect that if two proteins bind to DNA separated by a distance r then th
 eir deformation fields will overlap and lead to an interaction energy that
  depends on r. This problem has not been theoretically addressed so far\, 
 but there is experimental evidence of the interaction. \nFor example\, gen
 e expression\, which depends on RNA polymerase binding affinity to DNA\, i
 s a function of the proximity of LacR and RNA polymerase. These effects ar
 e called allosteric interactions on DNA. In this talk we will use a birod 
 model of DNA to study how proteins deform it locally\, and how this leads 
 to allosteric interactions between them. \nSimilar elastic deformations ca
 used by proteins binding to lipid bilayers also result in allosteric inter
 actions that are responsible for cellular processes\, such as\, endo- and 
 exo-cytosis required for transport of materials into and out of cells. Oft
 en\, allostery also involves entropic forces between the proteins that are
  the result of fluctuations caused by Brownian motion of the elastic media
  (DNA or lipid membrane) separating them. We will briefly discuss how such
  entropic interactions between proteins bound to lipid membranes can be de
 scribed quantitatively within a semi-analytic computational model.\n
LOCATION:Oatley Seminar Room\, Department of Engineering
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