Experimental and Computational Investigations of Kinetoplast DNA

Abstract

Kinetoplast DNA, often described as molecular chainmail, is found in the mitochondria of trypanosome parasites and consists of thousands of topologically interlocked circular molecules. In addition to its biological role in gene editing, it has been explored recently as a model system for materials science, due to its unique topological connectivity and its two-dimensional structure. In this talk, I will discuss some experiments characterizing the physical properties of kinetoplasts, as well as more recent computational efforts to understand the relationship between their network topology and mechanical properties.