Power Spectra of a Constrained Totally Asymmetric Simple Exclusion Process

TL;DR

This paper investigates how finite ribosome pools affect protein synthesis modeling using TASEP, revealing new spectral features and developing a theoretical framework that aligns well with simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a linearized Langevin equation approach to analyze the power spectrum of TASEP with resource constraints, highlighting novel low-frequency suppression effects.

Findings

Discovered dramatic suppression at low frequencies in the power spectrum.

Developed a theoretical model that matches simulation results.

Provided insights into finite resource effects on TASEP dynamics.

Abstract

To synthesize proteins in a cell, an mRNA has to work with a finite pool of ribosomes. When this constraint is included in the modeling by a totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP), non-trivial consequences emerge. Here, we consider its effects on the power spectrum of the total occupancy, through Monte Carlo simulations and analytical methods. New features, such as dramatic suppressions at low frequencies, are discovered. We formulate a theory based on a linearized Langevin equation with discrete space and time. The good agreement between its predictions and simulation results provides some insight into the effects of finite resoures on a TASEP.