Modelling energy in cellular transport processes

What is it about?

Membrane transporters are proteins that let small molecules in and out of cells, and are essential to sustaining life. Membrane transporters are powered by chemical (and sometimes electrical) gradients across the membrane. In many cases, these transporters need a source of energy to work, analogous to how a pump is required to move water uphill. However, existing mathematical models regularly ignore this energy, leading to unphysical behaviour. In this paper, we introduce a new method for accounting for energetic constraints in mathematical models of transporters. We base our approach on the bond graph approach from engineering. We use this methodology to build new models of two important membrane transporters in the heart cell.

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Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Membrane transport underlies many essential cellular processes, including the electrical signal of a heart beat and the maintenance of cell volume. Many drugs and pharmaceuticals act on membrane transporters, and many drug side-effects arise from action on membrane transporters. Predicting these effects is difficult due to the complex interplay between membrane transporters. Our work paves the way for more accurate models to predicting the outcomes of pharmaceutical treatment.