2011/05/26 by Biman Jana, Biman Bagchi, Jana, Biman +1
Engineering · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms #Gene Regulatory Network Analysis
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1105.5192
We develop a theory of enzyme catalysis within biological cells where the substrate concentration [S](t) is time dependent, in contrast to the Michaelis-Menten theory that assumes a steady state. We find that the time varying concentration can combine, in a non-linear way, with the ruggedness of the free energy landscape of enzymes (discovered both in single molecule studies and in simulations) to provide a highly efficient switch (or, bifurcation) between two catalytically active states, at a critical substrate concentration. This allows a dynamic control of product synthesis in cell.