Queueing Phase Transition: Theory of Translation

M. Carmen Romano, Marco Thiel, Ian Stansfield, and Celso Grebogi
Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 198104 – Published 15 May 2009

Abstract

We study the current of particles on a lattice, where to each site a different hopping probability has been associated and the particles can move only in one direction. We show that the queueing of the particles behind a slow site can lead to a first-order phase transition, and derive analytical expressions for the configuration of slow sites for this to happen. We apply this stochastic model to describe the translation of mRNAs. We show that the first-order phase transition, uncovered in this work, is the process responsible for the classification of the proteins having different biological functions.

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  • Received 21 January 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.102.198104

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

M. Carmen Romano1,2, Marco Thiel1, Ian Stansfield2, and Celso Grebogi1

  • 1Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UE, United Kingdom
  • 2Institute of Medical Sciences, Foresterhill, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom

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Issue

Vol. 102, Iss. 19 — 15 May 2009

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