Premium
Dynamic Patterns in Active Transport
Author(s) -
Blumenthal Robert P.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
israel journal of chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.908
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1869-5868
pISSN - 0021-2148
DOI - 10.1002/ijch.197300033
Subject(s) - chemistry , membrane , facilitated diffusion , passive transport , diffusion , membrane transport , biophysics , chemical physics , active transport , flow (mathematics) , steady state (chemistry) , mechanics , biochemistry , thermodynamics , physics , biology
Abstract A model for active transport is presented based on experiments of sugar uptake across bacterial membranes. The transport proteins in the membrane are assumed to undergo cooperative conformational changes, while mediating the active transport. When the nonlinear active transport flow is kinetically coupled to other flow processes such as passive diffusion or metabolic reactions, the system will exhibit interesting dynamically patterned behavior: multiple steady state transitions, overshoots with respect to the build up of the concentration within the cell resembling action potentials in nerve membranes, and spatial patterns of the transported species along the surface of the membrane. Some consequences of these dynamic processes are discussed.