English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Zendy Plus

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Zendy Tools

Zendy Open

Experiments using nanofluidic devices have proven effective in characterizingthe physical properties of polymers confined to small cavities. Two recentstudies using such methods examined the organization and dynamics of two DNAmolecules in box-like cavities with strong confinement in one direction andwith square and elliptical cross sections in the lateral plane. Motivated bythese experiments, we employ Monte Carlo and Brownian dynamics simulations tostudy the physical behaviour of two polymers confined to small cavities withshapes comparable to those used in the experiments. We quantify the effects ofvarying the following polymer properties and confinement dimensions on theorganization and dynamics of the polymers: the polymer width, the polymercontour length ratio, the cavity cross-sectional area, and the degree of cavityelongation for cavities with rectangular and elliptical cross sections. We findthat the tendency for polymers to segregate is enhanced by increasing polymerwidth. For sufficiently small cavities, increasing cavity elongation promotessegregation and localization of identical polymers to opposite sides of thecavity along its long axis. A free-energy barrier controls the rate of polymersswapping positions, and the observed dynamics are roughly in accord withpredictions of a simple theoretical model. Increasing the contour lengthdifference between polymers significantly affects their organization in thecavity. In the case of a large linear polymer co-trapped with a small ringpolymer in an elliptical cavity, the small polymer tends to lie near thelateral confining walls, and especially at the cavity poles for highlyelongated ellipses.

Equilibrium behaviour of two cavity-confined polymers: Effects of polymer width and system asymmetries