Single DNA molecule jamming and history-dependent dynamics during motor-driven viral packaging.

ABSTRACT: In many viruses molecular motors forcibly pack single DNA molecules to near-crystalline density into ~50-100 nm prohead shells^{1, 2}. Unexpectedly, we found that packaging frequently stalls in conditions that induce net attractive DNA-DNA interactions³. Here, we present findings suggesting that this stalling occurs because the DNA undergoes a nonequilibrium jamming transition analogous to that observed in many soft-matter systems, such as colloidal and granular systems^4-8. Experiments in which conditions are changed during packaging to switch DNA-DNA interactions between purely repulsive and net attractive reveal strongly history-dependent dynamics. An abrupt deceleration is usually observed before stalling, indicating that a transition in DNA conformation ca

SUBMITTER: Keller N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4982518 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature