RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Diffusive lensing as a mechanism of intracellular transport and compartmentalization
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.08.30.505927
DO 10.1101/2022.08.30.505927
A1 Achuthan Raja Venkatesh
A1 Kathy H. Le
A1 David M. Weld
A1 Onn Brandman
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/08/31/2022.08.30.505927.abstract
AB While inhomogeneous viscosity has been identified as a ubiquitous feature of the cellular interior, its implications for particle mobility and concentration at different length scales have remained unexplored. In this work, we use agent-based simulations of diffusion to investigate how diverse manifestations of heterogenous viscosity affect movement and concentration of diffusing particles. We propose that a mode of membraneless compartmentalization arising from the convergence of diffusive trajectories into viscous sinks, which we call “diffusive lensing,” can occur in a wide parameter space and is thus likely to be ubiquitous in living systems. Our work highlights the phenomenon of diffusive lensing as a potentially key driver of mesoscale dynamics in the cytoplasm, with possible far-reaching implications for biochemical processes.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.