Abstract
We develop a probabilistic model for the binding of a small linear polymer to a larger chain. We assume that we can approximate the energy of interaction of the two chains by summing the pairwise interactions between subunits. Because the energy of interaction between a pair of subunits can depend on neighboring subunits, which we assume vary along the chain, we assign the pairwise energies of interactions according to a specified probability distribution. Thus we develop a statistical model for the binding of two molecules. While such models may not be appropriate for studying the interaction of a particular pair of molecules, they can provide insight into questions that deal with populations of molecules, such as why do MHC molecules bind peptides of a certain size? Here we analyze in detail the special case of a heterodimer binding to a polymer.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 278-294 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Journal Of Mathematical Biology |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2000 |
Keywords
- Binding
- Dimers
- MHC
- Probability Theory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Modeling and Simulation
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Applied Mathematics