Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure

Summary: The translocation of polymers is omnipresent in inherently crowded biological systems. We investigate the dynamics of polymer translocation through a pore in free and crowded environments using Langevin dynamics simulation. We observed a location-dependent translocation rate of monomers sho...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vrinda Garg, Rejoy Mathew, Riyan Ibrahim, Kulveer Singh, Surya K. Ghosh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-04-01
Series:iScience
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224005698
_version_ 1827316356168548352
author Vrinda Garg
Rejoy Mathew
Riyan Ibrahim
Kulveer Singh
Surya K. Ghosh
author_facet Vrinda Garg
Rejoy Mathew
Riyan Ibrahim
Kulveer Singh
Surya K. Ghosh
author_sort Vrinda Garg
collection DOAJ
description Summary: The translocation of polymers is omnipresent in inherently crowded biological systems. We investigate the dynamics of polymer translocation through a pore in free and crowded environments using Langevin dynamics simulation. We observed a location-dependent translocation rate of monomers showcasing counterintuitive behavior in stark contrast to the bead velocity along the polymer backbone. The free energy calculation of asymmetrically placed polymers indicates a critical number of segments to direct receiver-side translocation. For one-sided crowding, we have identified a critical crowding size revealing a nonzero probability of translocation toward the crowded-side. Moreover, we have observed that shifting the polymer toward the crowded-side compensates for one-sided crowding, yielding an equal probability akin to a crowder-free system. In two-sided crowding, a slight variation in crowder size and packing fraction induces a polymer to switch its translocation direction. These conspicuous yet counter-intuitive phenomena are rationalized by minimalistic theoretical arguments based on osmotic pressure and radial entropic forces.
first_indexed 2024-04-24T23:14:20Z
format Article
id doaj.art-e996f6e12da844c6a5eff017b6660eb0
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2589-0042
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-24T23:14:20Z
publishDate 2024-04-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series iScience
spelling doaj.art-e996f6e12da844c6a5eff017b6660eb02024-03-17T07:58:35ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422024-04-01274109348Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressureVrinda Garg0Rejoy Mathew1Riyan Ibrahim2Kulveer Singh3Surya K. Ghosh4Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Warangal 506004, IndiaDepartment of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Warangal 506004, IndiaDepartment of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Warangal 506004, IndiaDepartment of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Warangal 506004, IndiaDepartment of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Warangal 506004, India; Corresponding authorSummary: The translocation of polymers is omnipresent in inherently crowded biological systems. We investigate the dynamics of polymer translocation through a pore in free and crowded environments using Langevin dynamics simulation. We observed a location-dependent translocation rate of monomers showcasing counterintuitive behavior in stark contrast to the bead velocity along the polymer backbone. The free energy calculation of asymmetrically placed polymers indicates a critical number of segments to direct receiver-side translocation. For one-sided crowding, we have identified a critical crowding size revealing a nonzero probability of translocation toward the crowded-side. Moreover, we have observed that shifting the polymer toward the crowded-side compensates for one-sided crowding, yielding an equal probability akin to a crowder-free system. In two-sided crowding, a slight variation in crowder size and packing fraction induces a polymer to switch its translocation direction. These conspicuous yet counter-intuitive phenomena are rationalized by minimalistic theoretical arguments based on osmotic pressure and radial entropic forces.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224005698Applied sciencesMaterials sciencePolymers
spellingShingle Vrinda Garg
Rejoy Mathew
Riyan Ibrahim
Kulveer Singh
Surya K. Ghosh
Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure
iScience
Applied sciences
Materials science
Polymers
title Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure
title_full Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure
title_fullStr Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure
title_full_unstemmed Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure
title_short Crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure
title_sort crowding induced switching of polymer translocation by the amalgamation of entropy and osmotic pressure
topic Applied sciences
Materials science
Polymers
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004224005698
work_keys_str_mv AT vrindagarg crowdinginducedswitchingofpolymertranslocationbytheamalgamationofentropyandosmoticpressure
AT rejoymathew crowdinginducedswitchingofpolymertranslocationbytheamalgamationofentropyandosmoticpressure
AT riyanibrahim crowdinginducedswitchingofpolymertranslocationbytheamalgamationofentropyandosmoticpressure
AT kulveersingh crowdinginducedswitchingofpolymertranslocationbytheamalgamationofentropyandosmoticpressure
AT suryakghosh crowdinginducedswitchingofpolymertranslocationbytheamalgamationofentropyandosmoticpressure