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Messages diffuse faster than messengers.

Bernardo Pando¹, Silvina Ponce Dawson, Don-On Daniel Mak

¹Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|March 30, 2006

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In cell signaling, information travels via diffusing molecules. While tagged particle experiments measure slower single-particle diffusion, actual information propagation is faster due to binding sites.

Area of Science:

Cell biology
Biophysics
Biochemistry

Background:

Cell signaling relies on diffusing messenger molecules.
Diffusion coefficients quantify spatial range and signal propagation times.
Intracellular particles often encounter immobile binding sites (traps).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how binding sites affect diffusive signal propagation.
To compare information diffusion rates with single-particle diffusion rates.
To evaluate the accuracy of tagged-particle experiments in measuring intracellular diffusion.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis of diffusion in the presence of traps.
Review of experimental techniques like radioactive calcium tracing and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP).

Related Experiment Videos

Comparison of single-particle diffusion coefficients with information propagation dynamics.

Main Results:

Binding to traps reduces the effective diffusion coefficient for single particles.
Information, in the form of concentration inhomogeneities, diffuses faster than individual particles in the presence of traps.
Tagged-particle experiments measure single-particle diffusion, potentially underestimating signal propagation rates.

Conclusions:

Messages can diffuse faster than messengers within cells.
Standard diffusion measurements may underestimate the speed of intracellular signaling.
Rethinking diffusion measurements is crucial for understanding cell communication.