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5,600
Bi-Phasic Vesicles: instability induced by adsorption of proteins
q-bio.SC
The recent discovery of a lateral organization in cell membranes due to small structures called 'rafts' has motivated a lot of biological and physico-chemical studies. A new experiment on a model system has shown a spectacular budding process with the expulsion of one or two rafts when one introduces proteins on the me...
biology
5,601
Turbulence near cyclic fold bifurcations in birhythmic media
q-bio.SC
We show that at the onset of a cyclic fold bifurcation, a birhythmic medium composed of glycolytic oscillators displays turbulent dynamics. By computing the largest Lyapunov exponent, the spatial correlation function, and the average transient lifetime, we classify it as a weak turbulence with transient nature. Virtual...
biology
5,602
Modeling stochastic Ca$^{2+}$ release from a cluster of IP$_3$-sensitive receptors
q-bio.SC
We focused our attention on Ca$^{2+}$ release from the endoplasmic reticulum through a cluster of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP$_3$) receptor channels. The random opening and closing of these receptors introduce stochastic effects that have been observed experimentally. Here, we present a stochastic version of Othme...
biology
5,603
Phase Transition in Reconstituted Chromatin
q-bio.SC
By observing reconstituted chromatin by fluorescence microscopy (FM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), we found that the density of nucleosomes exhibits a bimodal profile, i.e., there is a large transition between the dense and dispersed states in reconstituted chromatin. Based on an analysis of the spatial distributi...
biology
5,604
Pattern formation within Escherichia coli: diffusion, membrane attachment, and self-interaction of MinD molecules
q-bio.SC
In E. coli, accurate cell division depends upon the oscillation of Min proteins from pole to pole. We provide a model for the polar localization of MinD based only on diffusion, a delay for nucleotide exchange, and different rates of attachment to the bare membrane and the occupied membrane. We derive analytically the ...
biology
5,605
Observations of magnetic field induced contraction of fission yeast cells using optical projection microscopy
q-bio.SC
The charges in live cells interact with or produce electric fields, which results in enormous dielectric responses, flexoelectricity, and related phenomena. Here we report on a contraction of schizosacchraoymces pombe (fission yeast) cells induced by magnetic fields, as observed using a phase sensitive projection image...
biology
5,606
Collective charge excitations along cell membranes
q-bio.SC
A significant part of the thin layers of counter-ions adjacent to the exterior and interior surfaces of a cell membrane form quasi-two-dimensional (2D) layers of mobile charge. Collective charge density oscillations, known as plasmon modes, in these 2D charged systems of counter-ions are predicted in the present paper....
biology
5,607
The dynamics of the min proteins of Escherichia coli under the constant external fields
q-bio.SC
In E. coli the determination of the middle of the cell and the proper placement of the septum is essential to the division of the cell. This step depends on the proteins MinC, MinD, and MinE. Exposure to a constant external field e.g., an electric field or magnetic field may cause the bacteria cell division mechanism t...
biology
5,608
Competing Polymerization of Actin Skeleton explains Relation between Network Polarity and Cell Movements
q-bio.SC
Based on experimental observations it is known that various biological cells exhibit a persistent random walk during migration on flat substrates. The persistent random walk is characterized by `stop-and-go' movements : unidirectional motions over distances of the order of several cell diameter are separated by localiz...
biology
5,609
Uncorrelated two-state single molecule trajectories from reducible kinetic schemes
q-bio.SC
Trajectories of on-off events are the output of many single molecule experiments. Usually, one describes the underlying mechanism that generates the trajectory using a kinetic scheme, and by analyzing the trajectory aims at deducing this scheme. In a previous work [O. Flomenbom, J. Klafter, and A. Szabo, submitted (200...
biology
5,610
Filament depolymerization by motor molecules
q-bio.SC
Motor proteins that specifically interact with the ends of cytoskeletal filaments can induce filament depolymerization. A phenomenological description of this process is presented. We show that under certain conditions motors dynamically accumulate at the filament ends. We compare simulations of two microscopic models ...
biology
5,611
L-selectin mediated leukocyte tethering in shear flow is controlled by multiple contacts and cytoskeletal anchorage facilitating fast rebinding events
q-bio.SC
L-selectin mediated tethers result in leukocyte rolling only above a threshold in shear. Here we present biophysical modeling based on recently published data from flow chamber experiments (Dwir et al., J. Cell Biol. 163: 649-659, 2003) which supports the interpretation that L-selectin mediated tethers below the shear ...
biology
5,612
On Myosin II dynamics in the presence of external loads
q-bio.SC
We address the controversial hot question concerning the validity of the loose coupling versus the lever-arm theories in the actomyosin dynamics by re-interpreting and extending the phenomenological washboard potential model proposed by some of us in a previous paper. In this new model a Brownian motion harnessing ther...
biology
5,613
Continuum Description of the Cytoskeleton: Ring Formation in the Cell Cortex
q-bio.SC
Motivated by the formation of ring-like filament structures in the cortex of plant and animal cells, we study the dynamics of a two-dimensional layer of cytoskeletal filaments and motor proteins near a surface by a general continuum theory. As a result of active processes, dynamic patterns of filament orientation and d...
biology
5,614
Modelling and simulation of polycomb-dependent chromosomal interactions in drosophila
q-bio.SC
The conditions of the chromosomes inside the nucleus in the Rabl configuration have been modelled as self-avoiding polymer chains under restraining conditions. To ensure that the chromosomes remain stretched out and lined up, we fixed their end points to two opposing walls. The numbers of segments $N$, the distances $d...
biology
5,615
A Physical Model for the Condensation and Decondensation of Eukaryotic Chromosomes
q-bio.SC
During the eukaryotic cell cycle, chromatin undergoes several conformational changes, which are believed to play key roles in gene expression regulation during interphase, and in genome replication and division during mitosis. In this paper, we propose a scenario for chromatin structural reorganization during mitosis, ...
biology
5,616
Effect of channel block on the spiking activity of excitable membranes in a stochastic Hodgkin-Huxley model
q-bio.SC
The influence of intrinsic channel noise on the spontaneous spiking activity of poisoned excitable membrane patches is studied by use of a stochastic generalization of the Hodgkin-Huxley model. Internal noise stemming from the stochastic dynamics of individual ion channels is known to affect the collective properties o...
biology
5,617
Embryonic Pattern Scaling Achieved by Oppositely Directed Morphogen Gradients
q-bio.SC
Morphogens are proteins, often produced in a localised region, whose concentrations spatially demarcate regions of differing gene expression in developing embryos. The boundaries of expression must be set accurately and in proportion to the size of the one-dimensional developing field; this cannot be accomplished by a ...
biology
5,618
The Water Circuit of the Plants - Do Plants have Hearts ?
q-bio.SC
There is a correspondence between the circulation of blood in all higher animals and the circulation of sap in all higher plants - up to heights h of 140 m - through the xylem and phloem vessels. Plants suck in water from the soil, osmotically through the roothair zone, and subsequently lift it osmotically again, and b...
biology
5,619
Kinetic Accessibility of Buried DNA Sites in Nucleosomes
q-bio.SC
Using a theoretical model for spontaneous partial DNA unwrapping from histones, we study the transient exposure of protein-binding DNA sites within nucleosomes. We focus on the functional dependence of the rates for site exposure and reburial on the site position, which is measurable experimentally and pertinent to gen...
biology
5,620
Model for Osteosarcoma-9 as a Potent Factor in Cell Survivor and Resistance to Apoptosis
q-bio.SC
In this paper we use a simple toy model to explore the function of the gene Osteosarcoma-9. We are in particular interested in understanding the role of this gene as a potent anti-apoptotic factor. The theoretical description is constrained by experimental data from induction of apoptosis in cells where OS-9 is overexp...
biology
5,621
Finite-size domains in membranes with active two-state inclusions
q-bio.SC
The distribution of inclusion-rich domains in membranes with active two-state inclusions is studied by simulations. Our study shows that typical size of inclusion-rich domains ($L$) can be controlled by inclusion activities in several ways. When there is effective attraction between state-1 inclusions, we find: (i) Sma...
biology
5,622
Duality, thermodynamics, and the linear programming problem in constraint-based models of metabolism
q-bio.SC
It is shown that the dual to the linear programming problem that arises in constraint-based models of metabolism can be given a thermodynamic interpretation in which the shadow prices are chemical potential analogues, and the objective is to minimise free energy consumption given a free energy drain corresponding to gr...
biology
5,623
The stochastic entry of enveloped viruses: Fusion vs. endocytosis
q-bio.SC
Viral infection requires the binding of receptors on the target cell membrane to glycoproteins, or ``spikes,'' on the viral membrane. The initial entry is usually classified as fusogenic or endocytotic. However, binding of viral spikes to cell surface receptors not only initiates the viral adhesion and the wrapping pro...
biology
5,624
The microtubule transistor
q-bio.SC
I point out the similarity between the microtubule experiment reported by Priel et al [Biophys. J. 90, 4639 (2006)] and the ZnO nanowire experiment of Wang et al [Nanolett. 6, 2768 (2006)]. It is quite possible that MTs are similar to a piezoelectric field effect transistor for which the role of the control gate electr...
biology
5,625
Superdiffusion in a Model for Diffusion in a Molecularly Crowded Environment
q-bio.SC
We present a model for diffusion in a molecularly crowded environment. The model consists of random barriers in percolation network. Random walks in the presence of slowly moving barriers show normal diffusion for long times, but anomalous diffusion at intermediate times. The effective exponents for square distance ver...
biology
5,626
Ion transport through cell membrane channels
q-bio.SC
We discuss various models of ion transport through cell membrane channels. Recent experimental data shows that sizes of ion channels are compared to those of ions and that only few ions may be simultaneously in any single channel. Theoretical description of ion transport in such channels should therefore take into acco...
biology
5,627
Modeling partitioning of Min proteins between daughter cells after septation in Escherichia coli
q-bio.SC
Ongoing sub-cellular oscillation of Min proteins is required to block minicelling in E. coli. Experimentally, Min oscillations are seen in newly divided cells and no minicells are produced. In model Min systems many daughter cells do not oscillate following septation because of unequal partitioning of Min proteins betw...
biology
5,628
Steady-state MreB helices inside bacteria: dynamics without motors
q-bio.SC
Within individual bacteria, we combine force-dependent polymerization dynamics of individual MreB protofilaments with an elastic model of protofilament bundles buckled into helical configurations. We use variational techniques and stochastic simulations to relate the pitch of the MreB helix, the total abundance of MreB...
biology
5,629
Fluctuation analysis of mechanochemical coupling depending on the type of bio-molecular motor
q-bio.SC
Mechanochemical coupling was studied for two different types of myosin motors in cells: myosin V, which carries cargo over long distances by as a single molecule; and myosin II, which generates a contracting force in cooperation with other myosin II molecules. Both mean and variance of myosin V velocity at various [ATP...
biology
5,630
A Symmetry Breaking Model for X Chromosome Inactivation
q-bio.SC
In mammals, dosage compensation of X linked genes in female cells is achieved by inactivation of one of their two X chromosomes which is randomly chosen. The earliest steps in X-inactivation (XCI), namely the mechanism whereby cells count their X chromosomes and choose between two equivalent X, remain mysterious. Start...
biology
5,631
Surfing at the wave fronts: the bidirectional movement of cargo particles driven by molecular motors
q-bio.SC
The collective behavior of molecular motor proteins have been investigated in the literature using models to describe the long-time dynamics of a unidimensional continuum motor distribution. Here, we consider the phenomena related to the transport of particles (vesicles, organelles, virus, etc) in the realm of these co...
biology
5,632
Tug-of-war as a cooperative mechanism for bidirectional cargo transport by molecular motors
q-bio.SC
Intracellular transport is based on molecular motors that pull cargos along cytoskeletal filaments. One motor species always moves in one direction, e.g. conventional kinesin moves to the microtubule plus end, while cytoplasmic dynein moves to the microtubule minus end. However, many cellular cargos are observed to mov...
biology
5,633
Investigating the two-moment characterisation of subcellular biochemical networks
q-bio.SC
While ordinary differential equations (ODEs) form the conceptual framework for modelling many cellular processes, specific situations demand stochastic models to capture the influence of noise. The most common formulation of stochastic models for biochemical networks is the chemical master equation (CME). While stochas...
biology
5,634
A thermodynamic switch for chromosome colocalization
q-bio.SC
A general model for the early recognition and colocalization of homologous DNA sequences is proposed. We show, on a thermodynamic ground, how the distance between two homologous DNA sequences is spontaneously regulated by the concentration and affinity of diffusible mediators binding them, which act as a switch between...
biology
5,635
The dynamics of cargo driven by molecular motors in the context of asymmetric simple exclusion processes
q-bio.SC
We consider the dynamics of cargo driven by a collection of interacting molecular motors in the context of an asymmetric simple exclusion processes (ASEP). The model is formulated to account for i) excluded volume interactions, ii) the observed asymmetry of the stochastic movement of individual motors and iii) interact...
biology
5,636
The switching dynamics of the bacterial flagellar motor
q-bio.SC
Many swimming bacteria are propelled by flagellar motors that stochastically switch between the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation direction. While the switching dynamics are one of the most important characteristics of flagellar motors, the mechanisms that control switching are poorly understood. We present a sta...
biology
5,637
The switching dynamics of the bacterial flagellar motor - Supporting Information
q-bio.SC
In this Supporting information we provide background information on our model of the bacterial flagellar motor. We also derive the analytical solution of our coarse-grained model of the switching dynamics and explain the hybrid stochastic algorithm used for the simulations.
biology
5,638
Calculation of the relative metastabilities of proteins in subcellular compartments of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
q-bio.SC
[abridged] Background: The distribution of chemical species in an open system at metastable equilibrium can be expressed as a function of environmental variables which can include temperature, oxidation-reduction potential and others. Calculations of metastable equilibrium for various model systems were used to charact...
biology
5,639
Growth-rate dependent partitioning of RNA polymerases in bacteria
q-bio.SC
Physiological changes which result in changes in bacterial gene expression are often accompanied by changes in the growth rate for fast adapting enteric bacteria. Since the availability of RNA polymerase (RNAP) in cells is dependent on the growth rate, transcriptional control involves not only the regulation of promote...
biology
5,640
Phospholipid demixing and the birth of a lipid droplet
q-bio.SC
The biogenesis of lipid droplets (LD) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was theoretically investigated on basis of a biophysical model. In accordance with the prevailing model of LD formation, we assumed that neutral lipids oil-out between the membrane leaflets of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), resulting in LD tha...
biology
5,641
Nucleocytoplasmic transport: a thermodynamic mechanism
q-bio.SC
The nuclear pore supports molecular communication between cytoplasm and nucleus in eukaryotic cells. Selective transport of proteins is mediated by soluble receptors, whose regulation by the small GTPase Ran leads to cargo accumulation in, or depletion from the nucleus, i.e., nuclear import or nuclear export. We consid...
biology
5,642
Discrete- versus continuous-state descriptions of the F1-ATPase molecular motor
q-bio.SC
A discrete-state model of the F1-ATPase molecular motor is developed which describes not only the dependences of the rotation and ATP consumption rates on the chemical concentrations of ATP, ADP, and inorganic phosphate, but also on mechanical control parameters such as the friction coefficient and the external torque....
biology
5,643
Predictions from a stochastic polymer model for the MinDE dynamics in E.coli
q-bio.SC
The spatiotemporal oscillations of the Min proteins in the bacterium Escherichia coli play an important role in cell division. A number of different models have been proposed to explain the dynamics from the underlying biochemistry. Here, we extend a previously described discrete polymer model from a deterministic to a...
biology
5,644
Self-organization of the MinE ring in subcellular Min oscillations
q-bio.SC
We model the self-organization of the MinE ring that is observed during subcellular oscillations of the proteins MinD and MinE within the rod-shaped bacterium {\it Escherichia coli}. With a steady-state approximation, we can study the MinE-ring generically -- apart from the other details of the Min oscillation. Rebindi...
biology
5,645
Biophysical mechanism for Ras-nanocluster formation and signaling in plasma membrane
q-bio.SC
Ras GTPases are lipid-anchored G proteins which play a fundamental role in cell signaling processes. Electron micrographs of immunogold-labeled Ras have shown that membrane-bound Ras molecules segregate into nanocluster domains. Several models have been developed in attempts to obtain quantitative descriptions of nanoc...
biology
5,646
In Vivo Localization of Fas-Associated Death Domain Protein in the Nucleus and Cytoplasm of Normal Thyroid and Liver Cells
q-bio.SC
FADD (Fas-associated death domain) is the main death receptor adaptor molecule that transmits apoptotic signal. Recently, FADD protein was shown to be expressed both in the cytoplasm and nucleus of in vitro cell lines. In contrast to the cytoplasmic FADD, the nuclear FADD was shown to protect cells from apoptosis. Howe...
biology
5,647
Self-organized Models of Selectivity in Ca and Na Channels
q-bio.SC
A simple pillbox model with two adjustable parameters accounts for the selectivity of both DEEA Ca channels and DEKA Na channels in many ionic solutions of different composition and concentration. Only the side chains are different in the model of the Ca and Na channels. Parameters are the same for both channels in all...
biology
5,648
Dynamics of intracellular Ca$^{2+}$ oscillations in the presence of multisite Ca$^{2+}$-binding proteins
q-bio.SC
We study the dynamics of intracellular calcium oscillations in the presence of proteins that bind calcium on multiple sites and that are generally believed to act as passive calcium buffers in cells. We find that multisite calcium-binding proteins set a sharp threshold for calcium oscillations. Even with high concentra...
biology
5,649
The Gated Narrow Escape Time for molecular signaling
q-bio.SC
The mean time for a diffusing ligand to activate a target protein located on the surface of a microdomain can regulate cellular signaling. When the ligand switches between various states induced by chemical interactions or conformational changes, while target activation occurs in only one state, this activation time is...
biology
5,650
Modeling torque versus speed, shot noise, and rotational diffusion of the bacterial flagellar motor
q-bio.SC
We present a minimal physical model for the flagellar motor that enables bacteria to swim. Our model explains the experimentally measured torque-speed relationship of the proton-driven E. coli motor at various pH and temperature conditions. In particular, the dramatic drop of torque at high rotation speeds (the "knee")...
biology
5,651
Transient Pulse Formation in Jasmonate Signaling Pathway
q-bio.SC
The jasmonate (JA) signaling pathway in plants is activated as defense response to a number of stresses like attacks by pests or pathogens and wounding by animals. Some recent experiments provide significant new knowledge on the molecular detail and connectivity of the pathway. The pathway has two major components in t...
biology
5,652
Force transduction by the microtubule-bound Dam1 ring
q-bio.SC
The coupling between the depolymerization of microtubules (MTs) and the motion of the Dam1 ring complex is now thought to play an important role in the generation of forces during mitosis. Our current understanding of this motion is based on a number of detailed computational models. Although these models realize possi...
biology
5,653
Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Mycobacterial Stringent Response
q-bio.SC
A common survival strategy of microorganisms subjected to stress involves the generation of phenotypic heterogeneity in the isogenic microbial population enabling a subset of the population to survive under stress. In a recent study, a mycobacterial population of M. smegmatis was shown to develop phenotypic heterogenei...
biology
5,654
Microphase separation in nonequilibrium biomembranes
q-bio.SC
Microphase separation of membrane components is thought to play an important role in many physiological processes, from cell signaling to endocytosis and cellular trafficking. Here, we study how variations in the membrane composition can be driven by fluctuating forces. We show that the membrane steady state is not onl...
biology
5,655
Theoretical analysis of the role of chromatin interactions in long-range action of enhancers and insulators
q-bio.SC
Long-distance regulatory interactions between enhancers and their target genes are commonplace in higher eukaryotes. Interposed boundaries or insulators are able to block these long distance regulatory interactions. The mechanistic basis for insulator activity and how it relates to enhancer action-at-a-distance remains...
biology
5,656
Jamming of molecular motors as a tool for transport cargos along microtubules
q-bio.SC
The hopping model for cargo transport by molecular motors introduced in Refs. goldman1, goldman2, is extended here in order to incorporate the movement of cargo-motor complexes. In this context, hopping process expresses the possibility for cargo to be exchanged between neighbor motors at a microtubule where the transp...
biology
5,657
Toward tunable RNA thermo-switches for temperature dependent gene expression
q-bio.SC
RNA thermometers are mRNA strands with a temperature dependent secondary structure: depending on the spatial conformation, the mRNA strand can get translated (on-state) or can be inaccessible for ribosomes binding (off-state). These have been found in a number of microorganisms (mainly pathogens), where they are used t...
biology
5,658
Branching actin network remodeling governs the force-velocity relationship
q-bio.SC
Actin networks, acting as an engine pushing against an external load, are fundamentally important to cell motility. A measure of the effectiveness of an engine is the velocity the engine is able to produce at a given force, the force-velocity curve. One type of force-velocity curve, consisting of a concave region where...
biology
5,659
Steady-state fluctuations of a genetic feedback loop: an exact solution
q-bio.SC
Genetic feedback loops in cells break detailed balance and involve bimolecular reactions; hence exact solutions revealing the nature of the stochastic fluctuations in these loops are lacking. We here consider the master equation for a gene regulatory feedback loop: a gene produces protein which then binds to the promot...
biology
5,660
Simple variation of the logistic map as a model to invoke questions on cellular protein trafficking
q-bio.SC
Many open problems in biology, as in the physical sciences, display nonlinear and 'chaotic' dynamics, which, to the extent possible, cannot be reasonably understood. Moreover, mathematical models which aim to predict/estimate unknown aspects of a biological system cannot provide more information about the set of biolog...
biology
5,661
Modelling the efficacy of hyperthermia treatment
q-bio.SC
Multimodal oncological strategies which combine chemotherapy or radiotherapy with hyperthermia have a potential of improving the efficacy of the non-surgical methods of cancer treatment. Hyperthermia engages the heat-shock response mechanism (HSR), main component of which are heat-shock proteins (HSP). Cancer cells hav...
biology
5,662
Cooperative dynamics of microtubule ensembles: Polymerization forces and rescue-induced oscillations
q-bio.SC
We investigate the cooperative dynamics of an ensemble of N microtubules growing against an elastic barrier. Microtubules undergo so-called catastrophes, which are abrupt stochastic transitions from a growing to a shrinking state, and rescues, which are transitions back to the growing state. Microtubules can exert push...
biology
5,663
Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields cause DNA strand breaks in normal Vero cells
q-bio.SC
Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields aren't considered as a real carcinogenic agent despite the fact that some studies have showed impairment of the DNA integrity in different cells lines. The aim of this study was evaluation of the late effects of a 100 Hz and 5.6 mT electromagnetic field, applied continuous...
biology
5,664
Comment on "Steady-state fluctuations of a genetic feedback loop: an exact solution" [J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 137}, 035104 (2012).]
q-bio.SC
The comment is intended to answer the criticism presented on `Steady-state fluctuations of a genetic feedback loop: an exact solution' [J. Chem. Phys. {\bf 137}, 035104 (2012).] and provides the missing component for the complete analytic solutions to the author's model.
biology
5,665
Dependence of Substrate Irradiation Reaction Rate Stimulation on Lactic Dehydrogenase Source
q-bio.SC
Stimulation of LDH initial reaction rates by timed pre-irradiation of crystalline sodium pyruvate and lithium lactate is reported for enzymes isolated from rabbit muscle, pig heart, human erythrocytes and chicken heart. The phenomenon investigated is referred to as the Comorosan effect. For the mammalian source enzymes...
biology
5,666
Convergence of methods for coupling of microscopic and mesoscopic reaction-diffusion simulations
q-bio.SC
In this paper, three multiscale methods for coupling of mesoscopic (compartment-based) and microscopic (molecular-based) stochastic reaction-diffusion simulations are investigated. Two of the three methods that will be discussed in detail have been previously reported in the literature; the two-regime method (TRM) and ...
biology
5,667
Maxwell's demon for calcium binding to calmodulin?
q-bio.SC
In the recent paper (2011) Faas and co-workers claimed that calmodulin could directly detect Ca2+ signals by acting as extremely fast calcium buffer. However the results and their interpretation raise serious doubts about this conclusion.
biology
5,668
Does Plasmodium falciparum have an Achilles' heel?
q-bio.SC
Plasmodium falciparum is the parasite that causes the most severe form of malaria. Currently, science has been established about its cellular structures, its metabolic processes, and even the molecular structures of its intrinsic membrane proteins responsible for transporting water, nutrient, and waste molecules across...
biology
5,669
Bursts of Active Transport in Living Cells
q-bio.SC
We scrutinize the temporally-resolved speed of active cargo transport in living cells, and show intermittent bursting motions. These nonlinear fluctuations follow a scaling law over several decades of time and space, the statistical regularities displaying a time-averaged shape that we interpret to reflect stress build...
biology
5,670
Quantitative analysis of intra-Golgi transport reveals inter-cisternal exchange for all cargo
q-bio.SC
The mechanisms controlling the transport of proteins across the Golgi stack of mammalian and plant cells is the subject of intense debate, with two models, cisternal progression and inter-cisternal exchange, emerging as major contenders. A variety of transport experiments have claimed support for each of these models. ...
biology
5,671
Single molecule enzymology a la Michaelis-Menten
q-bio.SC
In the past one hundred years, deterministic rate equations have been successfully used to infer enzyme-catalysed reaction mechanisms and to estimate rate constants from reaction kinetics experiments conducted in vitro. In recent years, sophisticated experimental techniques have been developed that allow the measuremen...
biology
5,672
Self-regulating genes. Exact steady state solution by using Poisson Representation
q-bio.SC
Systems biology studies the structure and behavior of complex gene regulatory networks. One of its aims is to develop a quantitative understanding of the modular components that constitute such networks. The self-regulating gene is a type of auto regulatory genetic modules which appears in over 40% of known transcripti...
biology
5,673
Biological mechanism and identifiability of a class of stationary conductance model for Voltage-gated Ion channels
q-bio.SC
The physiology of voltage gated ion channels is complex and insights into their gating mechanism is incomplete. Their function is best represented by Markov models with relatively large number of distinct states that are connected by thermodynamically feasible transitions. On the other hand, popular models such as the ...
biology
5,674
Cytoplasmic nanojunctions between lysosomes and sarcoplasmic reticulum are required for specific calcium signaling
q-bio.SC
We demonstrate how nanojunctions between lysosomes and sarcoplasmic reticulum (L-SR junctions) serve to couple lysosomal activation to regenerative, ryanodine receptor-mediated cellular calcium (Ca2+) waves. In pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) may trigg...
biology
5,675
The Long and Viscous Road: Uncovering Nuclear Diffusion Barriers in Closed Mitosis
q-bio.SC
During Saccharomyces cerevisiae closed mitosis, parental identity is sustained by the asymmetric segregation of ageing factors. Such asymmetry has been hypothesized to occur via diffusion barriers, constraining protein lateral exchange in cellular membranes. Diffusion barriers have been extensively studied in the plasm...
biology
5,676
Collective behavior of minus-ended motors in mitotic microtubule asters gliding towards DNA
q-bio.SC
Microtubules (MTs) nucleated by centrosomes form star-shaped structures referred to as asters. Aster motility and dynamics is vital for genome stability, cell division, polarization and differentiation. Asters move either towards the cell center or away from it. Here, we focus on the centering mechanism in a membrane i...
biology
5,677
Effective two-dimensional model does not account for geometry sensing by self-organized proteins patterns - Supplementary document
q-bio.SC
Here we provide a thorough discussion of the model for Min protein dynamics proposed by Schweizer et al. [11]. The manuscript serves as supplementary document for our letter to the editor to appear in PNAS. Our analysis is based on the original COMSOL simulation files that were used for the publication. We show that al...
biology
5,678
Force generation by Myosin II Filaments in Compliant Networks
q-bio.SC
Myosin II isoforms with varying mechanochemistry and filament size interact with filamentous actin (F-actin) networks to generate contractile forces in cells. How their properties control force production in environments with varying stiffness is poorly understood. Here, we incorporated literature values for properties...
biology
5,679
Cell development obeys maximum Fisher information
q-bio.SC
Eukaryotic cell development has been optimized by natural selection to obey maximal intracellular flux of messenger proteins. This, in turn, implies maximum Fisher information on angular position about a target nuclear pore complex (NPR). The cell is simply modeled as spherical, with cell membrane (CM) diameter 10 micr...
biology
5,680
Bistable protein distributions in rod-shaped bacteria
q-bio.SC
The distributions of many proteins in rod-shaped bacteria are far from homogenous. Often they accumulate at the cell poles or in the cell center. At the same time, the copy number of proteins in a single cell is relatively small making the patterns noisy. To explore limits to protein patterns due to molecular noise, we...
biology
5,681
Response to Halatek and Frey: Effective two-dimensional model does account for geometry sensing by self-organized proteins patterns
q-bio.SC
The Min proteins from Escherichia coli can self-organize into traveling waves on supported lipid bilayers. In Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 109, 15283 (2012) we showed that these waves are guided along the boundaries of membrane patches. We introduced an effective two-dimensional model reproducing the observed patterns. I...
biology
5,682
Influence of Multiplicative Stochastic Variation on Translational Elongation Rates
q-bio.SC
Recent experiments have shown that stochastic effects exerted at the level of translation contribute a substantial portion of the variation in abundance of proteins expressed at moderate to high levels. This study analyzes translational noise arising from fluctuations in residue-specific elongation rates. The resulting...
biology
5,683
Salinity tolerance in plants: attempts to manipulate ion transport
q-bio.SC
Ion transport is the major determining factor of salinity tolerance in plants. A simple scheme of a plant cell with ion fluxes provides basic understanding of ion transport and the corresponding changes of ion concentrations under salinity. The review describes in detail basic principles of ion transport for a plant ce...
biology
5,684
Efficiency of cellular uptake of nanoparticles via receptor-mediated endocytosis
q-bio.SC
Experiments show that cellular uptake of nanoparticles, via receptor-mediated endocytosis, strongly depends on nanoparticle size. There is an optimal size, approximately 50 nm in diameter, at which cellular uptake is the highest. In addition, there is a maximum size, approximately 200 nm, beyond which uptake via recept...
biology
5,685
Accurate chromosome segregation by probabilistic self-organization
q-bio.SC
Background: For faithful chromosome segregation during cell division, correct attachments must be established between sister chromosomes and microtubules from opposite spindle poles through kinetochores (chromosome bi-orientation). Incorrect attachments of kinetochore microtubules (kMTs) lead to chromosome mis-segregat...
biology
5,686
Transcriptional leakage versus noise: A simple mechanism of conversion between binary and graded response in autoregulated genes
q-bio.SC
We study the response of an autoregulated gene to a range of concentrations of signal molecules. We show that transcriptional leakage and noise due to translational bursting have the opposite effects. In a positively autoregulated gene, increasing the noise converts the response from graded to binary, while increasing ...
biology
5,687
New insights on the Dynamic Cellular Metabolism
q-bio.SC
A large number of studies have shown the existence of metabolic covalent modifications in different molecular structures, able to store biochemical information that is not encoded by the DNA. Some of these covalent mark patterns can be transmitted across generations (epigenetic changes). Recently, the emergence of Hopf...
biology
5,688
Stochastic dynamics of virus capsid formation: direct versus hierarchical self-assembly
q-bio.SC
In order to replicate within their cellular host, many viruses have developed self-assembly strategies for their capsids which are sufficiently robust as to be reconstituted in vitro. Mathematical models for virus self-assembly usually assume that the bonds leading to cluster formation have constant reactivity over the...
biology
5,689
Epigenetics: What it is about?
q-bio.SC
Epigenetics has captured the attention of scientists in the past decades, yet its scope has been continuously changing. In this paper, we give an overview on how and why its definition has evolved and suggest several clarification on the concepts used in this field, in particular, on the notions of epigenetic informati...
biology
5,690
Multiscale modeling of exocytosis in the fertilization process
q-bio.SC
We discuss the implementation of a multiscale biophysico-chemical model able to cope with the main mechanisms underlying cumulative exocytosis in cells. The model is based on a diffusion equation in the presence of external forces that links calcium signaling and the biochemistry associated to the activity of cytoskele...
biology
5,691
Mean-field analysis of two-species TASEP with attachment and detachment
q-bio.SC
In cells, most of cargos are transported by motor proteins along microtubule. Biophysically, unidirectional motion of large number of motor proteins along a single track can be described by totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP). From which many meaningful properties, such as the appearance of domain wall ...
biology
5,692
Bistability: Requirements on Cell-Volume, Protein Diffusion, and Thermodynamics
q-bio.SC
Bistability is considered wide-spread among bacteria and eukaryotic cells, useful e.g. for enzyme induction, bet hedging, and epigenetic switching. However, this phenomenon has mostly been described with deterministic dynamic or well-mixed stochastic models. Here, we map known biological bistable systems onto the well-...
biology
5,693
Contributions to the Theory of Thermostated Systems II: Least Dissipation of Helmholtz Free Energy in Nano-Biology
q-bio.SC
In this paper, we develop further the theory of thermostated systems along the lines of our earlier paper. Two results are highlighted: 1) in the Markov limit of the contracted description, a least dissipation of Helmholtz free energy principle is established; and 2) a detailed account of the appropriateness of this pr...
biology
5,694
Spatial organization of bacterial transcription and translation
q-bio.SC
In bacteria such as $\textit{Escherichia coli}$, DNA is compacted into a nucleoid near the cell center, while ribosomes$-$molecular complexes that translate messenger RNAs (mRNAs) into proteins$-$are mainly localized at the poles. We study the impact of this spatial organization using a minimal reaction-diffusion model...
biology
5,695
Accurate encoding and decoding by single cells: amplitude versus frequency modulation
q-bio.SC
Cells sense external concentrations and, via biochemical signaling, respond by regulating the expression of target proteins. Both in signaling networks and gene regulation there are two main mechanisms by which the concentration can be encoded internally: amplitude modulation (AM), where the absolute concentration of a...
biology
5,696
Asymmetrical inheritance of plasmids depends on dynamic cellular geometry and volume exclusion effects
q-bio.SC
The asymmetrical inheritance of plasmid DNA, as well as other cellular components, has been shown to be involved in replicative aging. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, there is an ongoing debate regarding the mechanisms underlying this important asymmetry. Currently proposed models suggest it is established via diffusion, ...
biology
5,697
mTORC1 regulates cytokinesis through activation of Rho-ROCK signaling
q-bio.SC
Understanding the mechanisms by which cells coordinate their size with their ability to divide has long attracted the interest of biologists. The Target of Rapamycin (TOR) pathway is becoming increasingly recognized as a master regulator of cell size, however less is known how TOR activity might be coupled with the cel...
biology
5,698
Facilitated diffusion framework for transcription factor search with conformational changes
q-bio.SC
Cellular responses often require the fast activation or repression of specific genes, which depends on Transcription Factors (TFs) that have to quickly find the promoters of these genes within a large genome. Transcription Factors (TFs) search for their DNA promoter target by alternating between bulk diffusion and slid...
biology
5,699
Sequence Heterogeneity Accelerates Protein Search for Targets on DNA
q-bio.SC
The process of protein search for specific binding sites on DNA is fundamentally important since it marks the beginning of all major biological processes. We present a theoretical investigation that probes the role of DNA sequence symmetry, heterogeneity and chemical composition in the protein search dynamics. Using a ...
biology