Statistical physics and mesoscopic modeling to interpret tethered particle motion experiments

TL;DR

This paper reviews statistical physics and mesoscopic models used to interpret tethered particle motion experiments, focusing on data analysis and theoretical tools for understanding DNA behavior at the single-molecule level.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of the theoretical models and data processing methods developed over the past two decades for analyzing tethered particle motion experiments.

Findings

Summarizes key statistical tools used in data interpretation.

Highlights the importance of data pre-processing to avoid biases.

Connects experimental data to DNA conformational states.

Abstract

Tethered particle motion experiments are versatile single-molecule techniques enabling one to address in vitro the molecular properties of DNA and its interactions with various partners involved in genetic regulations. These techniques provide raw data such as the tracked particle amplitude of movement, from which relevant information about DNA conformations or states must be recovered. Solving this inverse problem appeals to specific theoretical tools that have been designed in the two last decades, together with the data pre-processing procedures that ought to be implemented to avoid biases inherent to these experimental techniques. These statistical tools and models are reviewed in this paper.