- Using B-Spline and Bezier Curves to Model Paths of DNA
- Project Year:
2020
- REU Student (s):
Abigail Watkins | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC
- Student 1 Institution:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Project Mentor:
Wilma Olson
- Project Mentor Area:
Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Project Abstract:
In the nuclei of healthy human cells, DNA is compacted into chromosomes. However, in the nuclei of cancerous cells, there are also small closed loops of DNA called extrachromosomal DNA. These loops of DNA are believed to be responsible for the incredible adaptability of cancerous cells. Here we provide methods for analytically modeling loops of extrachromosomal DNA through the use of B-spline and Bezier curves. In each case, curves are first determined, local reference frames are attached, and then idealized base pairs corresponding to a desired chain sequence are plotted in each of these reference frames. Through the use of these models, we have studied various phenomena related to the structures of these closed loops of DNA.
