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Michaela Blazikova, Ivan Novotny, Petr Herman, Jan Malinsky (Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic;Institute of Experimental Medicine, ASCR, Prague; Institute of Molecular Genetics, ASCR, Prague)
Monte Carlo simulations were used to study the dynamics of nucleolar self-assembly. Nucleolus is the largest nuclear domain where different steps of ribosome biogenesis take place. During mitosis, nucleolus is disassembled and assembles again at the end of mitosis. After initiation of pre-ribosomal particles synthesis a gradual process of their aggregation begins: several small nucleoli appear that fuse to typically one or two larger aggregates. The detailed mechanism of this process and the maintenance of the structure remains unclear. We have designed a 3D model based on entropically driven self-assembly of the particles in biological environment. Model parameters were adjusted according to fluorescence and electron microscopy measurements. The system is currently being tested and several simulations have been run.