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Slow surface diffusion impacts molecular target search in cells. This study reveals a transition from nonergodic to ergodic diffusivity and offers a method to estimate surface diffusion rates.

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Area of Science:

  • Cellular biology
  • Biophysics
  • Physical chemistry

Background:

  • Molecular diffusion is crucial for biological reactions on cell surfaces.
  • Water retardation near targets facilitates molecular recognition.
  • Surface diffusion can be slower than bulk diffusion, affecting search efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of surface diffusivity on effective diffusivity in molecular target search.
  • To analyze the impact of slow surface diffusion on the fluctuations of time-averaged mean-square displacements (TAMSDs).
  • To explore the transition from nonergodic to ergodic diffusivity during target search.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of molecular diffusion on a surface with finite desorption rates.
  • Analysis of ensemble-averaged mean-square displacements (MSDs).
  • Investigation of TAMSD fluctuations across different measurement timescales.

Main Results:

  • Ensemble-averaged MSDs increase linearly with time, even with anomalous surface diffusion.
  • TAMSD fluctuations exhibit a transition from large values at short measurement times to decay at longer times.
  • A clear transition from nonergodic to ergodic diffusivity was observed.

Conclusions:

  • Slow surface diffusion significantly affects molecular target search dynamics.
  • Fluctuation analysis of TAMSDs provides a novel method for estimating unknown surface diffusivities.
  • The findings offer insights into cellular processes reliant on surface-mediated molecular interactions.