Stochastic Pumping: A mechanism for Free-Energy

Transduction by Molecules

Dean Astumian
Dept. of Physics
University of Maine

Annual Reviews of Biophysics, 40: 289-313 (2011)

Binding/Dissociation of oxygen to myoglobin
Binding - Local to global

Dissociation - Local to global?

Consistent with Macroscopic Experience
PNAS 82: 5000-5004, 1985
 IUPAC Gold Book:
Microscopic Reversibility - In a reversible reaction the mechanism in one
direction is exactly the reverse of the mechanism in the other direction.
This does not apply to reactions that begin with photo-excitation
 Energy Levels

Functionally
Important
Motions

Equilibrium
fluctuations
Life at Low Reynold’s number - E. M.
Purcell, AJP 45: 3-11 (1977)
 Generating cycles without light
EBL
EAL

EA
EB

Nanoscale Swimmers: Hydrodynamic Interactions and Propulsion of Molecular Machines

Sakue, Kapral, and Mikhailov, Eur. Phys. J. B 75: 381-387 (2010)
 Stochastic Pumping

For very slow modulation

3-Catenane
2-Catenane
R. Dean Astumian, PNAS (2007)
Electric field stimulation of the
Na,K-ATPase ion pump
AC field induced pumping by Na,K-ATPase
 Acknowledgements
• I am very grateful to the German Humboldt
Foundation for having facilitated this work
by conferral of a Humboldt Research
Award, and to my colleagues in Munich,
Hermann Gaub, Dieter Braun, and Jan
Neumann for wonderful discussions over
excellent beer.