Fractional exponential decay of a membrane protein population due to capture by coated pits.

We consider the lateral diffusion of receptors, or other membrane proteins, in the outer membranes of certain cells, and their capture by coated pits. It is shown, for the case in which the coated pits are in fixed random positions, that the long-time decay of the total number of uncaptured proteins is of the fractional exponential form, N(t) = N0 exp [-square root of (t/tau)], and not of the pure exponential form, N(t) = N0 exp(-t/tau), which is usually assumed.