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Biomedical subjects

R Granek

Publications and source records attributed to R Granek.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

Relaxation dynamics of a single DNA molecule.

The relaxation of a single DNA molecule is studied. The experimental system consists of optical tweezers and a micron-sized bead that is tethered to the bottom of the sample by a single double-stranded DNA molecule. The bead slows down the DNA relaxation from a strongly stretched configuration such that it is passing through stretched equilibrium states. This allows for a theoretical description of the relaxation trajectory, which is in good agreement with experiment.

Computer Simulation↗

Relaxation dynamics of semiflexible polymers.

We study the relaxation dynamics of a semiflexible chain by introducing a time-dependent tension. The chain has one of its ends attached to a large bead, and the other end is fixed. We focus on the initial relaxation of the chain that is initially strongly stretched. Using a tension that is self-consistently determined, we obtain the evolution of the end-to-end distance with no free parameters. Our results are in good agreement with single molecule experiments on double stranded DNA.

DNA↗

Crystalline films of interdigitated structures formed via amidinium-carboxylate interactions at the air-water interface.

Electrostatic interactions between amidinium and carboxylates were used for the construction of interdigitated architectures at the air-solution interface. Spreading the water-insoluble amphiphile p-pentadecylbenzoic acid (A) on an aqueous solution of p-methylbenzamidinium (B) ions results in an intercalation of the water-soluble base between the acidic headgroups of the water-insoluble amphiphile to form an amorphousA-B-A-B monolayer according to grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD) and X-ray reflectivity measurements. Upon compression the monolayer transforms into a crystalline film composed of three bilayers with interdigitated hydrocarbon chains, and a top layer whose chains are disordered. Water-insoluble p-heptadecylbenzamidinium spread on an aqueous solution of benzoic acid displays a surface pressure-area isotherm similar to that obtained from the above system. A mechanism that accounts for the formation of these films is presented. Deposition of p-heptadecylbenzamidinium and p-pentadecylbenzoic acid amphiphiles in a 1:1 ratio on pure water led to the formation of a crystalline monolayer phase but which is partially disordered. Over an aqueous solution containing a 1:1 mixture of benzamidinium and benzoic acid no measurable binding of these solute molecules to the polar headgroups of the 1:1 mixed monolayer could be detected by X-ray reflectivity or GIXD.

Journal Article↗

Enhanced diffusion in active intracellular transport.

We show that within a living eukaryotic cell, mean square displacement of an engulfed microsphere shows enhanced diffusion scaling as t(3/2) at short times, with a clear crossover to subdiffusive or ordinary diffusion scaling at longer times. The motion, observed nearby the nucleus, is due to interactions with microtubule-associated motor proteins rather than thermal Brownian motion. We propose that time-dependent friction introduced by the intracellular polymer networks leads to sub-ballistic motion, analogous to subdiffusion observed in passive networks of semiflexible biopolymers.

Algorithms↗