Self-organization and cooperativity of weakly coupled molecular motors under unequal loading

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Jan Brugués - , University of Barcelona, ESPCI (Author)
  • Jaume Casademunt - , University of Barcelona (Author)

Abstract

We study the collective dynamics of Brownian motors moving on a one-dimensional track when an external load is applied to the leading motor. Motors are driven by a two-state ratchet mechanism, which is appropriate to single-headed kinesins, and their relative motion is only constrained by their mutual interaction potential (weak coupling). We show that unequal loading enhances cooperativity, leading to the formation of clusters with velocities and efficiencies higher than those predicted by simple superposition. When a weak attraction between motors is present, we find nonmonotonic collective velocity-force curves, hysteretic phenomena, and a dynamic self-regulation mechanism that selects the cluster size for optimal performance.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number118104
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume102
Issue number11
Publication statusPublished - 17 Mar 2009
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas