CFTC logo

Past seminars Seminários já decorridos

Protein assemblies as a new regime of matter

By: Pablo Sartori
From: Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
At: Online - Zoom (https://videoconf-colibri.zoom.us/j/89489675125)
[2020-10-29]

To carry out cellular functions, proteins assemble into multi-component structures referred to as protein complexes. The properties of complexes are fundamentally different from those of inert systems. For example, although their composition is very heterogeneous, they are reproducible with great accuracy, mixing properties normally ascribed to glasses and crystals. This suggests the need for a new class of physical models. I will introduce a minimal model of protein mixtures that allows for self-assembly of structures with properties akin to cellular complexes. I will then discuss how similar regimes may also exist in liquids.