https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2018-11686-7
Regular Article
Translocation of polyampholytes and intrinsically disordered proteins⋆
1
Institut Charles Sadron CNRS-Unistra, 6 rue Boussingault, 67083, Strasbourg Cedex, France
2
ESPCI Paris, PSL University, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France
* e-mail: albert.johner@ics-cnrs.unistra.fr
Received:
15
April
2018
Accepted:
29
May
2018
Published online:
21
June
2018
Polyampholytes are polymers carrying electrical charges of both signs along their backbone. We consider synthetic polyampholytes with a quenched random charge sequence and intrinsically disordered proteins, which have a well-defined charge sequence and behave like polyampholytes in the denaturated state. We study their translocation driven by an electric field through a pore. The role of disorder along the charge sequence of synthetic polyampholytes is analyzed. We show how disorder slows down the translocation dynamics. For intrinsically disordered proteins, the translocation vs. rejection rates by the pore depends on which end is engaged in the translocation channel. We discuss the rejection time, the blockade time distributions and the translocation speed for the charge sequence of two specific intrinsically disordered proteins differing in length and structure.
Key words: Polymers: From Adsorption to Translocation - Topical Issue in Memoriam Loïc Auvray (1956-2016)
© EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature, 2018