Towards a biophysical 3D model of the DNA

Abstract

It has been proven that three-dimensional architecture of DNA could bring more information to the molecule's analysis. However, genome's 3D representation has often been based on "naked" DNA. Thus, the techniques used have changed the molecule's nature making the 3D model less credible. However, further researches on chromosomes' organization have identified some data and models representing a part of this organization. The challenge is to synthesize what has been established in the literature. The molecule will be represented at the chromatin fiber level by means of 3D modeling algorithms. Initially, we have identified the biophysical data to be exploited. Indeed, we will first rely on the biophysical data of the chromatin's structure as the persistence length along with the diameter, the confined volume and the curvature energy in order to build a first simple model of the chromatin. This 3D model will be improved, as we will apply on it biological models.