Asymmetries generated by diffusion and reaction, and their bearing on active transport through membranes

A model is presented that suggests that a natural, stable asymmetry may arise on either side of a membrane, even when the bulk conditions on either side of the membrane are the same and the two faces of the membrane are indistinguishable. Equations are derived on the assumption of Michaelis-Menten kinetics with substrate inhibition to describe the properties of such a model membrane.