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Spatio-Temporal Evolution Model for Competitive Ligand Binding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

C.A. Condat
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR 00680
P. P. Delsanto
Affiliation:
INFM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
D. Iordache
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Univ. Politehnica of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
G. Perego
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, PR 00680
E. Ruffino
Affiliation:
INFM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy
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Abstract

Ligand binding is an essential step in many biological and biochemical processes, notably protein activation. In many cases, the binding rates are determined by competition: blockers competing with ligands or decoys competing with receptors. Often, the diffusivities of the various species also play a key role. The usual modelling of these processes, however, either involves well-mixed systems, for which spatial variations are neglected, or steady-state situations for which all time evolution has ceased. The model presented here can instead account for the spatial variations that originate as a consequence of inhomogeneous initial conditions and localized binding sites. It describes their evolution in time due to a combination of mechanisms of diffusion, competition and reaction. The model, which is formulated in terms of a coupled system of equations for the probability densities of the various populations, is easy to adapt to different specific conditions and is particularly well suited for numerical calculations, e.g., on a parallel computer. Since it yields concrete predictions, it can be readily used to predict the concentrations and distributions of the various species that are needed to obtain prescribed responses.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1998

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