Theoretical Analysis of Molecular Transport Across Membrane Channels and Nanopores

Abstract

AbstractA successful functioning of cellular systems requires that some molecules and ions be transferred out of the cell while other particles should be taken in. The bidirectional flux is accomplished with the help of a complex system of membrane protein channels and pores [1, 2]. It is known that molecular transport across cellular membranes is fast, efficient, selective, and that the functioning of channels is robust with respect to strong nonequilibrium fluctuations in the cellular environment [2]. These observations are especially surprising because in many cases molecular translocation does not involve the use of metabolic energy or significant conformational changes [4]. Although in recent years significant advances in studying molecular transport in biological systems have been achieved, the mechanisms of translocation phenomena are still not well understood.KeywordsParticle FluxMolecular TransportParticle CurrentSignificant Conformational ChangeUniform ChannelThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.