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The Impact of Macromolecular Crowding Effect on the Formation of DNA Structure
Wen-Tao Zhong, Mei-Ya Hong, Xing-Guo Gong*
Institute of Bio-macromolecule and Enzyme Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
Abstract: Macromolecular crowding effect， which developed from the theory of volume excluded effect， represents a ubiquitous highly crowded condition in living cells and plays an equally important role in cellular physiology with pH value， ionic strength， etc. Crowding agents， such as polyethylene glycol (PEG)， significantly functions in the interactions of DNA-DNA or DNA-protein， and stabilizes the formation of higher-order structure of DNA and nucleolus or nuclear area. Macromolecules in crowded environment have an intrinsic tendency of association and aggregation， which arises with the concentration of the macromolecules and reduces the free energy of the solvent by leading solutes to smaller volume. The buffering capacity of macromolecular crowding exceedingly maintains the intracellular physiological condition， ensuring the normal function of living cells.
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