Physical limits of cells and proteomes

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1114477108
• Publication Date: 2011-10-18T05:23:13Z
• Authors: Ken A. Dill; Kingshuk Ghosh; Jeremy D. Schmit
• Keywords: Proteome; Denaturation (fissile materials); Folding (DSP implementation)

What are the physical limits to cell behavior? Often, limitations can be dominated by proteome, cell’s complement of proteins. We combine known protein sizes, stabilities, and rates folding diffusion, with protein-length distributions P ( N ) proteomes Escherichia coli , yeast, worm), formulate scaling relationships in order address questions physics. Why do mesophilic cells die around 50 °C? How maximal growth-rate temperature (around 37 °C) occur so close cell-death temperature? The model shows that death coincides a denaturation catastrophe its proteome. reason function well just few degrees below their is because proteome cooperative. dense-packed molecules (about 20% volume)? Cells packed at density maximizes biochemical reaction rates. At lower densities, proteins collide too rarely. higher diffuse slowly through crowded cell. sizes growth rates? Cell limited synthesis, slowest proteins, and—for large cells—by diffusion. Useful insights into physics may obtainable from laws encapsulate information knowledge bases.