2 research outputs found
Coupled dynamics of sequence selection and compactification in mean-field hetero-polymers
We study a simple solvable model describing the genesis of monomer sequences
for hetero-polymers (such as proteins), as the result of the equilibration of a
slow stochastic genetic selection process which is assumed to be driven by the
competing demands of functionality and reproducibility of the polymer's folded
structure. Since reproducibility is defined in terms of properties of the
folding process, one is led to the analysis of the coupled dynamics of (fast)
polymer folding and (slow) genetic sequence selection. For the present
mean-field model this analysis can be carried out using the finite-dimensional
replica method, leading to exact results for (first- and second-order)
transitions and to rich phase diagrams.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure