Milstein, Joshua N.
Contact Information
3359 Mississauga Road North
Mississauga, Ontario
L5L 1C6
Research
DNA provides a list of genetic instructions for regulating cellular activity. Traditionally, it has been thought that those instructions are expressed solely through biochemical interactions between sequences encoded along the DNA and regulatory elements, such as transcription or splicing factors, within the cell. A growing body of evidence is emerging, however, which connects mechanical features of the DNA to genetic function.
Uncovering this “Mechanome” will require new tools to explore the internal mechanics of living cells. Despite the hurdles, technical advances are moving us steadily closer to performing single-molecule measurements within living cells, laying the foundation for a new paradigm in how we interact with and explore the cellular world. My lab focuses on developing both experimental and theoretical techniques to address fundamental questions on the physics of genetic regulation, with a strong soft condensed matter and/or statistical physics flavor.
Publications
“DNA Mechanoregulation: Implications of DNA biomechanics for gene expression.” J. N. Milstein and J. -C. Meiners (Review Article, submitted, 2011).
“Bead size effects on protein-mediated DNA looping in tethered particle microscopy.” J. N. Milstein, Y.-F. Chen and J. -C. Meiners, Biopolymers 95, 144 (2010).
“Protein-mediated DNA loop formation and breakdown in a fluctuating environment.” Y.-F. Chen*, J. N. Milstein*, and J. -C. Meiners, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 258103 (2010).
“Femtonewton entropic forces can control the formation of protein-mediated DNA loops.” Y.-F. Chen, J. N. Milstein and J. -C. Meiners, Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 048301 (2010).