In this work we study how a viral capsid can change conformation using
techniques of Large Deviations Theory for stochastic differential equations.
The viral capsid is a model of a complex system in which many units - the
proteins forming the capsomers - interact by weak forces to form a structure
with exceptional mechanical resistance. The destabilization of such a structure
is interesting both per se, since it is related either to infection or
maturation processes, and because it yields insights into the stability of
complex structures in which the constitutive elements interact by weak
attractive forces. We focus here on a simplified model of a dodecahederal viral
capsid, and assume that the capsomers are rigid plaquettes with one degree of
freedom each. We compute the most probable transition path from the closed
capsid to the final configuration using minimum energy paths, and discuss the
stability of intermediate states.Comment: 27 pages, 4 figures. New version, to appear in Physical Review
