title: Spatial propagation of protein polymerization.
abstract: We consider the spatial dependence of filamentous protein self-assembly. Through studying the cases where the spreading of aggregated material is dominated either by diffusion or by growth, we derive analytical results for the spatial evolution of filamentous protein aggregation, which we validate against Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, we compare the predictions of our theory with experimental measurements of two systems for which we identify the propagation as either growth or diffusion controlled. Our results connect the macroscopic observables that characterize the spatial propagation of protein self-assembly with the underlying microscopic processes and provide physical limits on spatial propagation and prionlike behavior associated with protein aggregation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom and School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: S I A
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rajah
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Buell
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sperling
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vendruscolo
authors.affiliation: Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Terentjev
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Dobson
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA and Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Weitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: T P J
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Knowles
mesh_terms: D004058:Diffusion; D008956:Models, Chemical; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D058105:Polymerization; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D013269:Stochastic Processes
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins