# Modulating internal transition kinetics in responsive macromolecules by collective crowding

Source: [Modulating internal transition kinetics in responsive macromolecules by collective crowding](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/68fa47521e209131ce927180>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2025-10-27T04:30:08.124Z

Authors: Upayan Baul, Nils Goeth, Michael Bley, Joachim Dzubiella

Published: 2021-09-23T15:56:11.000Z

## Abstract

Packing and crowding are used in biology as mechanisms to (self-)regulate internal molecular or cellular processes based on collective signalling. Here, we study how the transition kinetics of an internal switch of responsive macromolecules is modified collectively by their spatial packing. We employ Brownian dynamics simulations of a model of responsive colloids (RCs), in which an explicit internal degree of freedom, here, the particle size, moving in a bimodal energy landscape responds self-consistently to the density fluctuations of the crowded environment. We demonstrate that populations and transition times for the two-state switching kinetics can be tuned over one order of magnitude by self-crowding. An exponential scaling law derived from a combination of Kramers' and liquid state perturbation theory is in very good agreement with the simulations.

## Recorded benchmark results

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## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.11454>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/2109.11454.pdf>)