Related papers: Active thermodynamic force driven mitochondrial al…
ATPases cyclically convert chemical energy in the form of ATP gradients into directed motion inside cells. To function, ATPases rely on allosteric communication between at least two binding sites, an internal signaling mechanism that is not…
Active contributions to fluctuations are a direct consequence of metabolic energy consumption in living cells. Such metabolic processes continuously create active forces, which deform the membrane to control motility, proliferation as well…
We demonstrate asymmetric enzyme kinetics of a biomolecular motor F1-ATPase between synthesis and hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Our experiments show that ATP hydrolysis follows Michaelis-Menten kinetics, but ATP synthesis,…
Cells are known to exert forces to sense their physical surroundings for guidance of motion and fate decisions. Here, we propose that cells might do mechanical work to drive their own evolution, taking inspiration from the adaptive immune…
Smart active agents must allocate finite energetic resources across distinct functions, yet the underlying thermodynamic trade-offs remain poorly understood. Here, we introduce a minimal model of a self-steering particle with an internal…
Protein conformational changes are activated processes essential for protein functions. Activation in a protein differs from activation in a small molecule in that it involves directed and systematic energy flows through preferred channels…
The growth of actin filament networks is a fundamental biological process that drives a variety of cellular and intracellular motions. During motility, eukaryotic cells and intracellular pathogens are propelled by actin networks organized…
Collections of self-propelled particles that move persistently by continuously consuming free energy are a paradigmatic example of active matter. In these systems, unlike Brownian "hot colloids", the breakdown of detailed balance yields a…
Experiments by Chretien and co-workers suggest that mitochondria are 10oC hotter than their surroundings. Steady-state theoretical estimates place this difference at a maximum of 10^-5 oC. This million-fold disagreement may be called the…
The mechanical properties within living cells play a critical role in the adaptive regulation of their biological functions upon environmental and internal stimuli. While these properties exhibit nonequilibrium dynamics due to the thermal…
I consider motivation and value-alignment in AI systems from the perspective of (constrained) entropy maximization. Though the structures encoding knowledge in any physical system can be understood as energetic constraints, only living…
Living cells move thanks to assemblies of actin filaments and myosin motors that range from very organized striated muscle tissue to disordered intracellular bundles. The mechanisms powering these disordered structures are debated, and all…
Thermodynamic behavior of polymer chains out of equilibrium is a fundamental problem in both polymer physics and biological physics. By using molecular dynamics simulation, we discover a general non-equilibrium mechanism that controls the…
The inner membrane of mitochondria presents folds, the cristae, which are the production place of ATP. This synthesis is driven by a flow of protons confined to the surface of the membrane, which also shapes the crista to ensure a high…
The proton motive force (PMF) across the inner mitochondrial membrane delivers approximately 0.2 eV of energy per proton, powering the FoF1-ATP synthase molecular motor. Here, we provide a detailed accounting of how this energy is utilized:…
We present a model of an ATP-fueled molecular machine which push a polymer through a pore channel. The machine acts between two levels (working-waiting), and the working one remains active for a fixed time giving a constant force. The…
In this communication, we propose a model to study the non-equilibrium process by which actin stress fibers develop force in contractile cells. The emphasis here is on the non-equilibrium thermodynamics, which is necessary to address the…
Active Brownian engines rectify energy from reservoirs composed of self-propelling non-equilibrium molecules into work. We consider a class of such engines based on an underdamped Brownian particle trapped in a power-law potential. The…
Cell-to-cell heterogeneity drives a range of (patho)physiologically important phenomena, such as cell fate and chemotherapeutic resistance. The role of metabolism, and particularly mitochondria, is increasingly being recognised as an…
Biomembranes wrapping cells and organelles are not only the partitions that separate the insides but also dynamic fields for biological functions accompanied by membrane shape changes. In this review, we discuss the spatiotemporal patterns…