Protein drift-diffusion in membranes with non-equilibrium fluctuations arising from gradients in concentration or temperature
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We investigate proteins within heterogeneous cell membranes where non-equilibrium phenomena arises from spatial variations in concentration and temperature. We develop simulation methods building on non-equilibrium statistical mechanics to obtain stochastic hybrid continuum-discrete descriptions which track individual protein dynamics, spatially varying concentration fluctuations, and thermal exchanges. We investigate biological mechanisms for protein positioning and patterning within membranes and factors in thermal gradient sensing. We also study the kinetics of Brownian motion of particles with temperature variations within energy landscapes arising from heterogeneous microstructures within membranes. The introduced approaches provide self-consistent models for studying biophysical mechanisms involving the drift-diffusion dynamics of individual proteins and energy exchanges and fluctuations between the thermal and mechanical parts of the system. The methods also can be used for studying related non-equilibrium effects in other biological systems and soft materials.
Source: PLoS Computational Biology
Authors: Dev Jasuja, Paul J. Atzberger
Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,043
Awards: G1110399006, G2760720504, G3349485200, G3872622290, Interfacial Mechanics of Cell Membranes: Stochastic Exterior Calculus Approaches for Curved Fluid Lipid-Protein Bilayers, Center of Excellence for Materials Research and Innovation at UCSB, Viscoelastic Cytoskeletal-Membrane Mechanics: Hybrid Discrete-Continuum Stochastic Approaches, MRI: Acquisition of a High Performance Central Computing Facility at University of California Santa Barbara, G8736858443
OpenAlex ID: W4416515895