Year: 1997
Type: article
Abstract: We present a physical mechanism which can lead to oscillatory motion of molecular motors cooperating in large groups when the system is elastically coupled to its environment. Analytical and numerical calculations reveal a characteristic type of oscillatory behavior with cusplike extrema. Typical oscillation frequencies are determined by the internal time scales of the motors. The physical mechanism we describe generates in a natural way many of the characteristic properties of spontaneous oscillations observed in some muscles and myofibrils.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Authors: Frank Jülicher, Jacques Prost
Institution: Institut Curie
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Aspen Center for Physics
OpenAlex ID: W2008297741