Lakhanpal Amit, Chou Tom
Department of Biomathematics, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095-1766, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2007 Dec 14;99(24):248302. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.248302.
We propose a stochastic process wherein molecular transport is mediated by asymmetric nucleation of domains on a one-dimensional substrate, in contrast with molecular motors that hydrolyze nucleotide triphosphates and undergo conformational change. We show that asymmetric nucleation of hydrolysis waves on a track can also result in directed motion of an attached particle. Asymmetrically cooperative kinetics between hydrolyzed and unhydrolyzed states on each lattice site generate moving domain walls that push a particle sitting on the track. We use a novel fluctuating-frame, finite-segment mean field theory to accurately compute steady-state velocities of the driven particle and to discover parameter regimes yielding maximal domain wall flux, leading to optimal particle drift.
