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SUMMARY:VIRUS ASSEMBLY AND GENOME TRANSLOCATION: ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES FRO
 M POLYMER PHYSICS - Murugappan Muthukumar\, Dept Polymer Science and Engin
 eering\, University of Massachusetts Amherst
DTSTART:20131115T140000Z
DTEND:20131115T150000Z
UID:TALK48142@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Eileen Nugent
DESCRIPTION:Myriads of viruses keep on proliferating around us. How are th
 e virus genomes\, which carry information for making the next generation o
 f viruses\, organized inside viruses? Guided by experimental facts\, we sh
 ow that fundamental principles from polyelectrolyte physics underlie virus
  assembly. Electrical charge balance between the genomes and the proteins 
 enclosing them dictates the genome assembly and the kinetics follows the s
 ame nucleation and growth mechanism as seen in first order phase transitio
 ns. Our predictions capture the essential aspects of genome packing in div
 ersely different viruses evolved over billions of years\, and provide new 
 strategies for packaging genes for medical applications while questioning 
 the general applicability of the central dogma. The translocation of elect
 rically charged macromolecules through narrow channels is a fundamental pr
 ocess in life. The biophysics of polymer translocation process will be dis
 cussed using simulations and polymer physics concepts against a background
  of single-molecule experiments. Specifically\, the movement of DNA/RNA th
 rough alpha-hemolysin channels and solid-state nanopores under an external
  electric field will be presented.
LOCATION:Small Lecture Theatre\, Cavendish Laboratory
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