Margaret Johnson
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mejohnson81.bsky.social
Margaret Johnson
@mejohnson81.bsky.social
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Associate Professor of Biophysics at Johns Hopkins. Theory, modeling, and computation. Living systems and statistical mechanics. https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/johnson-lab/
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Reposted by Margaret Johnson
alleninstitute.org
Open science tools like Simularium help bring science to life.

@mejohnson81.bsky.social shares how it has helped her stoke curiosity in @jhuartssciences.bsky.social students and work with colleagues across timezones.

#OpenScienceWeek
September 17, 2025 at 5:33 PM
mejohnson81.bsky.social
How much do dimer binding affinities change for proteins on the 2D membrane vs in solution? We go beyond rigid-body entropy estimates to show conformational variations can strongly select for 2D association. Very proud of Dr Adip Jhaveri and team's comprehensive work! doi.org/10.1063/5.02...
Protein dimerization in 2D vs 3D: Geometric allostery enhances binding affinity
Dimerization underpins all macromolecular assembly processes, both on and off the membrane. While the strength of dimerization, KD, is commonly quantified in so
doi.org
July 21, 2025 at 9:53 PM
mejohnson81.bsky.social
Does protein dimerization always help targeting and dwell time on DNA? Not for a population! Dwell time is especially sensitive to spacing between DNA targets. Nonspecific binding and facilitated (1D) diffusion also play a key role. Super proud of Mankun Sang’s work!
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Proteins can form dimers and bind DNA specifically and nonspecifically, exploiting 3D and 1D diffusion. This can drives both enhanced and impaired dwell time and target occupancy depending on spacing between specific targets.
July 11, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Reposted by Margaret Johnson
seanmcarroll.bsky.social
The Natural Philosophy Symposium is underway! I had some idea of live-skeeting, but the real-time event is too absorbing.

www.naturalphilosophyhopkins.org/natural-phil...

Anyway, we've had:

(cont)
May 29, 2025 at 8:27 PM
mejohnson81.bsky.social
Can sensing of membrane receptors be switched on at tunable threshold densities, without active processing? Proud to share this preprint led by the awesome Dr Foley, please check it out!
physfoley.bsky.social Sam Foley @physfoley.bsky.social · May 26
I’m excited to finally share our new preprint! Membrane-associated assembly processes like CME function as precisely-tunable, spatially targetable, robust on/off switches that don’t require energy at decision-time.

arxiv.org/abs/2505.17290

🧪
Top: Illustration of a lattice model of self-assembly coupled to membrane and receptor binding. An arrow along the bottom indicates that increases to various model parameters result in assembly nucleation events. Bottom left: Theoretical assembly "phase diagram" showing the extent of assembly in the membrane adhesiveness-receptor concentration plane. Bottom right: Decision boundaries, like the sharp transition seen on the left, plotted for various values of receptor affinity.
May 27, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Margaret Johnson
physfoley.bsky.social
For any of my friends at the #APS Global Physics Summit, come to the Macromolecular Assembly in Cells II session today at 3pm to hear from me about how clathrin self-assembly is tuned to sense cargo receptors!
Coarse-grained reaction-diffusion simulations! Idealized lattice models! Coat assembly phase diagrams! Stop on by for a theoretically fun time!
March 19, 2025 at 3:41 PM