Berlin 2005 – scientific programme
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DY: Dynamik und Statistische Physik
DY 21: Statistical Physics in Biological Systems
DY 21.8: Talk
Saturday, March 5, 2005, 10:15–10:30, TU H2032
Positioning the division plane in Escherichia coli — •Giovanni Meacci1, Markus Bär1,2, and Karsten Kruse1 — 1Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden — 2Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestraße 2-12, 10587 Berlin
During division of the bacterium Escherichia coli, the correct position of the division plane is determined in part by the Min proteins. For this purpose, pole-to-pole oscillations of these proteins are important. Here, a phenomenological description for these oscillations is presented, where lateral interactions between proteins on the cell membrane play a key role. The phenomenological parameters used can be linked to microscopic physical quantities and thus allow for a quantitative comparison with experimental results. To study the effects of fluctuations due to low protein numbers, we consider a Langevin equation for the fluctuating protein concentrations. It is derived through coarse graining of the microscopic master equation.