Renewal processes and fluctuation analysis of molecular motor stepping

TL;DR

This paper models molecular motor dynamics using renewal processes and applies a functional technique to compute correlation functions relevant for bead-assay experiments involving both processive and rotary motors.

Contribution

It introduces a renewal process framework and a functional technique for analyzing correlation functions in molecular motor experiments, extending prior models.

Findings

Provides a method to compute multiple-time correlation functions

Applicable to both processive and rotary molecular motors

Enhances analysis of bead-assay experimental data

Abstract

We model the dynamics of a processive or rotary molecular motor using a renewal processes, in line with the work initiated by Svoboda, Mitra and Block. We apply a functional technique to compute different types of multiple-time correlation functions of the renewal process, which have applications to bead-assay experiments performed both with processive molecular motors, such as myosin V and kinesin, and rotary motors, such as F1-ATPase.