Cellular Ability to Sense Spatial Gradients in the Presence of Multiple Competitive Ligands

TL;DR

This paper investigates how cells sense spatial chemical gradients when multiple ligands are present, using an extended Michaelis-Menten model that aligns with experimental data.

Contribution

It introduces a model considering multiple ligands' effects on cellular sensing, extending previous theoretical work with practical binding energies.

Findings

Model aligns with experimental observations

Cells can effectively sense gradients with multiple ligands

Provides insights into ligand competition in sensing mechanisms

Abstract

Many eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells can exhibit remarkable sensing ability under small gradient of chemical compound. In this study, we approach this phenomenon by considering the contribution of multiple ligands to the chemical kinetics within Michaelis-Menten model. This work was inspired by the recent theoretical findings from Bo Hu et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 048104 (2010)], our treatment with practical binding energies and chemical potential provides the results which are consistent with experimental observations.