Free Energy Transduction in a Chemical Motor Model

Abstract

Motor enzymes catalyze chemical reactions, like the hydrolysis of ATP, and in the process they also perform work. Recent studies indicate that motor enzymes perform work with specific intermediate steps in their catalyzed reactions, challenging the classic view (in Brownian motor models) that work can only be performed within biochemical states. An alternative class of models (chemical motor models) has emerged in which motors perform work with biochemical transitions, but many of these models lack a solid physicochemical foundation. In this paper, I develop a self consistent framework for chemical motor models. This novel framework accommodates multiple pathways for free energy transfer, predicts rich behaviors from the simplest multi motor systems, and provides important new insights into muscle and motor function.