How do particles with complex interactions self-assemble?

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Koehler, Lara, Ronceray, Pierre, Lenz, Martin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Koehler, Lara
Ronceray, Pierre
Lenz, Martin
author_facet Koehler, Lara
Ronceray, Pierre
Lenz, Martin
contents In living cells, proteins self-assemble into large functional structures based on specific interactions between molecularly complex patches. Due to this complexity, protein self-assembly results from a competition between a large number of distinct interaction energies, of the order of one per pair of patches. Current self-assembly models however typically ignore this aspect, and the principles by which it determines the large-scale structure of protein assemblies are largely unknown. Here, we use Monte-Carlo simulations and machine learning to start to unravel these principles. We observe that despite widespread geometrical frustration, aggregates of particles with complex interactions fall within only a few categories that often display high degrees of spatial order, including crystals, fibers, and oligomers. We then successfully identify the most relevant aspect of the interaction complexity in predicting these outcomes, namely the particles' ability to form periodic structures. Our results provide a first extensive characterization of the rich design space associated with identical particles with complex interactions, and could inspire engineered self-assembling nanoobjects as well as help understand the emergence of robust functional protein structures.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2312_06350
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle How do particles with complex interactions self-assemble?
Koehler, Lara
Ronceray, Pierre
Lenz, Martin
Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
In living cells, proteins self-assemble into large functional structures based on specific interactions between molecularly complex patches. Due to this complexity, protein self-assembly results from a competition between a large number of distinct interaction energies, of the order of one per pair of patches. Current self-assembly models however typically ignore this aspect, and the principles by which it determines the large-scale structure of protein assemblies are largely unknown. Here, we use Monte-Carlo simulations and machine learning to start to unravel these principles. We observe that despite widespread geometrical frustration, aggregates of particles with complex interactions fall within only a few categories that often display high degrees of spatial order, including crystals, fibers, and oligomers. We then successfully identify the most relevant aspect of the interaction complexity in predicting these outcomes, namely the particles' ability to form periodic structures. Our results provide a first extensive characterization of the rich design space associated with identical particles with complex interactions, and could inspire engineered self-assembling nanoobjects as well as help understand the emergence of robust functional protein structures.
title How do particles with complex interactions self-assemble?
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Biological Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.06350