End-pulled polymer translocation through a many-body flexible pore

TL;DR

This study investigates the dynamics of a homopolymer translocating through a flexible, many-body pore, revealing resonant behaviors and force signatures that elucidate the translocation process.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed model of a flexible pore with elastic parameters and analyzes the force and vibrational responses during polymer translocation.

Findings

Work done by the cantilever shows nonmonotonic behavior with elastic constant.

Force spectroscopy captures key translocation kinetics.

Resonant-like behavior observed in elastic parameter region.

Abstract

This paper studies the features of a homopolymer translocating through a flexible pore. The channel is modeled as a monolayer tube composed by monomers with two elastic parameters: spring-like two body interaction and bending three body recall interaction. In order to guarantee the stability of the system, the membrane is compounded by a lipid bilayer structure having hydrophobic body (internal), while the pore is hydrophilic in both edges. The polymer is end-pulled from the cis-side to the trans-side by a cantilever, to which is connected through a spring able to measure the force acting on the polymer during the translocation. All the structure reacts to the impacts of the monomers of the polymer with vibrations generated by the movement of its constituent bodies. In these conditions, the work done by the cantilever shows a nonmonotonic behavior with the elastic constant, revealing a resonant-like behavior in a parameter region. Moreover, the force spectroscopy registered as a function of time, is able to record the main kinetics of the polymer progression inside the pore.