The principle of topology (IMAGE)
Caption
Top: Like an S turning into an O, the spectrum of a biochemical system can undergo a topological transition. Bottom-left: In the topologically-protected state, the biochemical system undergoes edge cycles. In this example, a protein complex made of six subunits which can change shape (green square or purple circle) or bind another molecule (yellow circles) shows edge cycles where all subunits change shape, bind a molecule, all change shape again, and finally release the molecule. Bottom-right: Following the trajectory of the system over time shows that edge cycles are very persistent.
Credit
Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization
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