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Unraveling Entropic Rate Acceleration Induced by Solvent Dynamics in Membrane Enzymes

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Acceleration of enzymatic reaction-diffusion kinetics by intermediate state.

Akihiro Fukuda¹, Yohei Nakayama¹, Shoichi Toyabe¹

¹Tohoku University, Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, 980-8579 Sendai, Japan.

Physical Review. E

|October 21, 2025

Summary

Intermediate states in biological molecular motors often accelerate their function by lowering energy barriers, especially under load. This research explores their impact on motor kinetics and design principles.

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Area of Science:

Biophysics
Nanotechnology
Biochemistry

Background:

Biological molecular motors are nanomachines converting chemical energy to mechanical motion through chemomechanical coupling.
Motor reaction cycles involve intermediate chemical states, whose influence on performance is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of intermediate chemical states on molecular motor kinetics.
To explore how these states affect motor performance under varying conditions, including external load.

Main Methods:

Utilized a reaction-diffusion model to simulate and analyze motor kinetics.
Examined the influence of intermediate states on effective energy barrier heights and reaction rates.

Main Results:

Intermediate states generally accelerate motor function by reducing the effective energy barrier.
Acceleration is significantly enhanced when an external load is applied.
In specific scenarios, such as slow reactions with asymmetric kinetics, intermediate states can decelerate the motor.

Conclusions:

Intermediate states play a crucial role in modulating molecular motor performance.
Findings offer insights for designing high-performance biological and artificial molecular motors.
Understanding these states is key to optimizing nanomachinery efficiency.