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Enzyme as Maxwell's Demon: Steady-State Deviation from Chemical Equilibrium by Enhanced Enzyme Diffusion
Shunsuke Ichii1,2, Tetsuhiro S Hatakeyama3, Kunihiko Kaneko3,4
1The University of Tokyo, Department of Physics, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
Physical Review Letters
|February 6, 2026
Summary
Enhanced enzyme diffusion (EED) may enable enzymes to act as Maxwell's demons, using catalytic memory to drive chemical systems away from equilibrium. This research explores the potential macroscopic consequences and biological relevance of EED.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Chemical Kinetics
- Theoretical Chemistry
Background:
- Enhanced enzyme diffusion (EED) is a phenomenon where enzyme mobility increases during catalysis.
- Experimental evidence for EED exists, but its validity remains a subject of debate within the scientific community.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the macroscopic consequences of enhanced enzyme diffusion (EED) if it exists.
- To determine if EED can lead to observable effects in chemical systems.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations were employed to model systems with EED.
- Theoretical analysis was used to understand the underlying principles and conditions for EED effects.
Main Results:
- Enzymes exhibiting EED can function as Maxwell's demons.
- These enzymes utilize catalytic memory from enhanced diffusion to influence chemical concentrations.
- Steady-state chemical concentrations can be driven away from thermodynamic equilibrium.
Conclusions:
- The existence of EED could lead to enzymes actively manipulating chemical concentrations, deviating from equilibrium.
- Theoretical conditions for this phenomenon have been identified.
- The potential biological significance and implications of EED in biological systems are discussed.
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