2024/08/12 by Davide Michieletto, Michieletto, Davide
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · #Biological Physics (physics.bio-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research #Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) #Various Chemistry Research Topics
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2408.05978
openalex publication_date 2024/08/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
All life forms are miraculous, but some are more inexplicable than others. Trypanosomes are by far one of the most puzzling organisms on Earth: their mitochondrial genome, also called kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) forms an Olympic-ring-like network of interlinked DNA circles, challenging conventional paradigms in both biology and physics. In this review, I will discuss kDNA from the astonished perspective of a polymer physicist and tell a story of how a single sub-celluar structure from a blood-dwelling parasite is inspiring generations of polymer chemists and physicists to create new catenated materials.