The movements of molecular motors, which bind to and unbind from cytoskeletal
?laments, are studied theoretically. In their bound and unbound
states, the motors undergo directed movement and nondirected di?usion, respectively.
Single motors in open compartments exhibit anomalous time–
dependent drift velocities. [1,2] Populations consisting of a single motor
species exhibit tra?c jams, boundary-induced phase transitions, and active
pattern formation. [1,3] Systems with two motor species undergo phase transitions
towards states with spontaneously broken symmetry in which one
motor species is largely excluded from the ?lament. [4] These latter phase
transitions can be simply probed by varying the motor concentrations.
[1] R. Lipowsky, S. Klumpp, and T. Nieuwenhuizen: Random walks of cytoskeletal
motors in open and closed compartments, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87,
108101/1 (2001).
[2] T. Nieuwenhuizen, S. Klumpp, and R. Lipowsky: Movements of molecular
motors in two and three dimensions, Europhys. Lett. 58, 468 (2002).
[3] S. Klumpp and R. Lipowsky, Tra?c of molecular motors through tube-like
compartments, J. Stat. Phys. 113, 233 (2003)
[4] S. Klumpp and R. Lipowsky, Phase transitions in systems with two species
of molecular motors, Europhys. Lett. (in press)
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