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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Single-Molecule Diffusion and Assembly on Polymer-Crowded Lipid Membranes
Published on: July 19, 2022
How crowded is the prokaryotic cytoplasm?
1Mallard Creek Polymers, Inc., 14700 Mallard Creek Road, Charlotte, NC 28262, USA. jspitz@mcpolymers.com
Abstract:
We consider biomacromolecular crowding within the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells as a two-phase system of 'supercrowded' cytogel and 'dilute' cytosol; we simplify and quantify this model for a coccoid cell over a wide range of biomacromolecular crowding. The key result shows that the supercrowded cytogel extends the vectorial character of the plasma membrane deeper into the cytoplasm by about 20-70 nm. We discuss useful physiological insights that this model gives into the functioning of a prokaryotic cell on the micrometer scale.
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