Physics and modelling of intracellular diffusion

Abstract

Diffusion is a fundamental phenomenon that occurs ubiquitously in nature and remains the subject of continuous research interest. Understanding diffusion is a key to understanding leaving systems. In this Chapter, I discuss diffusion of macromolecules under crowding conditions inside living cells. I describe briefly how to characterize, model and measure diffusion properties. The focus is on physics and simulations, with a particular emphasis on the effects important for crowded, biologically relevant systems.