Kinetoplast DNA: a polymer physicist’s topological Olympic dream

Davide Michieletto

doi:10.1093/nar/gkae1206

Kinetoplast DNA: a polymer physicist’s topological Olympic dream

Davide Michieletto^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

All life forms are miraculous, but some are more inexplicable than others. Trypanosomes are by far one of the most puzzling organisms on Earth: their mitochondrial genome, also called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) forms an Olympic-ring-like network of interlinked DNA circles, challenging conventional paradigms in both biology and physics. In this review, I will discuss kDNA from the astonished perspective of a polymer physicist and tell a story of how a single sub-cellular structure from a blood-dwelling parasite is inspiring generations of polymer chemists and physicists to create new catenated materials.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-9
Number of pages	9
Journal	Nucleic Acids Research
Volume	53
Issue number	2
Early online date	16 Dec 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkae1206
Publication status	Published - 27 Jan 2025

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Animals
DNA, Kinetoplast/chemistry
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Polymers/chemistry
Trypanosoma/genetics

Access to Document

10.1093/nar/gkae1206Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY)

Cite this

@article{c08b769078f24a698c96fe8668a37501,

title = "Kinetoplast DNA: a polymer physicist{\textquoteright}s topological Olympic dream",

abstract = "All life forms are miraculous, but some are more inexplicable than others. Trypanosomes are by far one of the most puzzling organisms on Earth: their mitochondrial genome, also called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) forms an Olympic-ring-like network of interlinked DNA circles, challenging conventional paradigms in both biology and physics. In this review, I will discuss kDNA from the astonished perspective of a polymer physicist and tell a story of how a single sub-cellular structure from a blood-dwelling parasite is inspiring generations of polymer chemists and physicists to create new catenated materials.",

keywords = "Animals, DNA, Kinetoplast/chemistry, Nucleic Acid Conformation, Polymers/chemistry, Trypanosoma/genetics",

author = "Davide Michieletto",

year = "2025",

month = jan,

day = "27",

doi = "10.1093/nar/gkae1206",

language = "English",

volume = "53",

pages = "1--9",

journal = "Nucleic Acids Research",

issn = "0305-1048",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Kinetoplast DNA: a polymer physicist’s topological Olympic dream

AU - Michieletto, Davide

PY - 2025/1/27

Y1 - 2025/1/27

N2 - All life forms are miraculous, but some are more inexplicable than others. Trypanosomes are by far one of the most puzzling organisms on Earth: their mitochondrial genome, also called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) forms an Olympic-ring-like network of interlinked DNA circles, challenging conventional paradigms in both biology and physics. In this review, I will discuss kDNA from the astonished perspective of a polymer physicist and tell a story of how a single sub-cellular structure from a blood-dwelling parasite is inspiring generations of polymer chemists and physicists to create new catenated materials.

AB - All life forms are miraculous, but some are more inexplicable than others. Trypanosomes are by far one of the most puzzling organisms on Earth: their mitochondrial genome, also called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) forms an Olympic-ring-like network of interlinked DNA circles, challenging conventional paradigms in both biology and physics. In this review, I will discuss kDNA from the astonished perspective of a polymer physicist and tell a story of how a single sub-cellular structure from a blood-dwelling parasite is inspiring generations of polymer chemists and physicists to create new catenated materials.

KW - Animals

KW - DNA, Kinetoplast/chemistry

KW - Nucleic Acid Conformation

KW - Polymers/chemistry

KW - Trypanosoma/genetics

UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=pure_uoe&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001379184400001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL

U2 - 10.1093/nar/gkae1206

DO - 10.1093/nar/gkae1206

M3 - Article

C2 - 39676656

SN - 0305-1048

VL - 53

SP - 1

EP - 9

JO - Nucleic Acids Research

JF - Nucleic Acids Research

IS - 2

ER -

Kinetoplast DNA: a polymer physicist’s topological Olympic dream

Abstract

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

TAP: Topologically Active Polymers

Cite this

Kinetoplast DNA: a polymer physicist’s topological Olympic dream

Abstract

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

TAP: Topologically Active Polymers

Cite this