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SUMMARY:How entropic forces can drive chromosome organisation - Prof. Bela
  Mulder\, FOM Institute AMOLF
DTSTART:20120307T141500Z
DTEND:20120307T151500Z
UID:TALK35221@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Robert Best
DESCRIPTION:We argue that above an appropriate length scale all chromosome
 s will behave as flexible polymers. This implies that many large scale fea
 tures of chromosomal organisation\, be it in pro- or eukaryots\, can be un
 derstood on the basis of the physics of polymers. The dominant organisatio
 nal principle involved is entropy\, the universal\, and non-specific\, ten
 dency of systems with many degrees of freedom to optimally “fill” thei
 r available phase space. Using computer simulations of effective represent
 ations of chromosomes we can probe this behaviour and its consequences. We
  will discuss the examples of chromosome segregation in E. coli\, the nucl
 ear organisation of the model plant system A. thaliana\, and spatial distr
 ibution of eu- and heterochromatin in the human nucleus.
LOCATION:Department of Chemistry\, Cambridge\, Pfizer lecture theatre
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