Universal relations in the self-assembly of proteins and RNA

Abstract

Concepts rooted in physics are becoming increasingly important in biology as we transition to an era in which quantitative descriptions of all processes from molecular to cellular level are needed. In this essay I discuss two unexpected findings of universal behavior, uncommon in biology, in the self-assembly of proteins and RNA. These findings, which are surprising, reveal that physics ideas applied to biological problems ranging from folding to gene expression to cellular movement and communication between cells might lead to discovery of universal principles operating in adoptable living systems.