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Does Electric Friction Matter in Living Cells?
Dmitrii E Makarov1, Hagen Hofmann2
1Department of Chemistry and Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|June 3, 2021
Summary
Cellular electric field fluctuations create friction, potentially slowing protein diffusion. This effect is significant for highly charged biomolecules like RNA and intrinsically disordered proteins, even without direct contact.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cellular dynamics
- Protein interactions
Background:
- Charged proteins in cells generate fluctuating electric fields.
- The fluctuation-dissipation theorem predicts friction from these fluctuations.
- The impact of electric field fluctuations on protein dynamics is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the effect of fluctuating electric fields on protein diffusion and dynamics.
- To determine the conditions under which electric friction becomes significant.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a generalized Langevin equation model.
- Incorporated a time-dependent friction memory kernel to represent electric field fluctuations.
- Estimated the order of magnitude of electric friction.
Main Results:
- Electric friction is generally negligible compared to solvent friction.
- A significant slowdown in protein diffusion and dynamics is predicted for biomolecules with high net charges (e.g., intrinsically disordered proteins, RNA).
- Altered dynamics can occur without direct biomolecular contact.
Conclusions:
- Fluctuating electric fields can influence cellular biomolecular dynamics.
- High net charge is a key factor for observing significant electric friction effects.
- This mechanism offers a new perspective on non-contact interactions affecting cellular processes.
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