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Multivalent particles have the ability to form multiple bonds to a substrate. Hence, a multivalent interaction can be strong, even if the individual bonds are weak. However, much more interestingly, multivalency greatly increases the sensitivity of the particle-substrate interaction to external conditions, resulting in an ultra-sensitive and highly non-linear dependence of the binding strength on parameters such as temperature, pH or receptor concentration. In this chapter we focus on super-selectivity: the high sensitivity of the strength of multivalent binding to the number of accessible binding sites on the target surface. For example, the docking of a multivalent particle on a cell-surface can be very sensitive (super-selective) to the concentration of the receptors to which the multiple ligands can bind. We present a theoretical analysis of systems of multivalent particles and describe the mechanism by which multivalency leads to super-selectivity. We introduce a simple analytical model that allows us to predict the overall strength of interactions based on physiochemical characteristics of multivalent binders. Finally, we formulate a set of simple design rules for multivalent interactions that yield optimal selectivity.
Reliably distinguishing between cells based on minute differences in receptor density is crucial for cell-cell or virus-cell recognition, the initiation of signal transduction and selective targeting in directed drug delivery. Such sharp differentiat
The performance of a molecular motor, characterized by its power output and energy efficiency, is investigated in the motor design space spanned by the stepping rate function and the motor-track interaction potential. Analytic results and simulations
Multivalent particles, i.e. microscopic constructs having multiple ligands, can be used to target surfaces selectively depending on their receptor density. Typically, there is a sharp onset of multivalent binding as the receptor density exceeds a giv
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The collapse of flexible polyelectrolytes in a solution of multivalent counterions is studied by means of a two state model. The states correspond to rod-like and spherically collapsed conformations respectively. We focus on the very dilute monomer c