We studied the elastic properties and mechanical stability of viral capsids under external force-loading with computer simulations. Our approach allows the implementation of specific geometries corresponding to specific phages, such as 29 and cowpea chlorotic mottle virus. We demonstrate how, in a combined numerical and experimental approach, the elastic parameters can be determined with high precision. The experimentally observed bimodality of elastic spring constants is shown to be of geometrical origin, namely the presence of pentavalent units in the viral shell. We define a criterion for capsid breakage that explains well the experimentally observed rupture. From our numerics we find a crossover from ␥ 2/3 to ␥ 1/2 for the dependence of the rupture force on the Fö ppl-von Ká rmá n number, ␥. For filled capsids, high internal pressures lead to a stronger destabilization for viruses with buckled ground states versus viruses with unbuckled ground states. Finally, we show how our numerically calculated energy maps can be used to extract information about the strength of protein-protein interactions from rupture experiments.biomaterials ͉ membranes ͉ thin shells

The crawling motion of Dictyostelium discoideum on substrata involves a number of coordinated events including cell contractions and cell protrusions. The mechanical forces exerted on the substratum during these contractions have recently been quantified using traction force experiments. Based on the results from these experiments, we present a biomechanical model of the contraction phase of Dictyostelium discoideum motility with an emphasis on the adhesive properties of the cell-substratum contact. Our model assumes that the cell contracts at a constant rate and is bound to the substratum by adhesive bridges that are modeled as elastic springs. These bridges are established at a spatially uniform rate while detachment occurs at a spatially varying, load-dependent rate. Using Monte Carlo simulations and assuming a rigid substratum, we find that the cell speed depends only weakly on the detachment kinetics of the cell-substratum interface, in agreement with experimental data. By varying the parameters that control the adhesive and contractile properties of the cell, we are able to make testable predictions. We also extend our model to include a flexible substrate and show that our model is able to produce substratum deformations and force patterns that are quantitatively and qualitatively in agreement with experimental data.

Recent experimental studies have revealed that bacteria, such as C. crescentus, show a remarkable spatial ordering of their chromosome. A strong linear correlation has been found between the position of genes on the chromosomal map and their spatial position in the cellular volume. We show that this correlation can be explained by a purely geometrical model. Namely, self-avoidance of DNA, specific positioning of one or few DNA loci (such as origin or terminus) together with the action of DNA compaction proteins (that organize the chromosome into topological domains) are sufficient to get a linear arrangement of the chromosome along the cell axis. We develop a Monte-Carlo method that allows us to test our model numerically and to analyze the dependence of the spatial ordering on various physiologically relevant parameters. We show that the proposed geometrical ordering mechanism is robust and universal (i.e. does not depend on specific bacterial details). The geometrical mechanism should work in all bacteria that have compacted chromosomes with spatially fixed regions. We use our model to make specific and experimentally testable predictions about the spatial arrangement of the chromosome in mutants of C. crescentus and the growth-stage dependent ordering in E. coli.