Naslov
Enzyme evolution and entropy production

Autori
Juretić, Davor ; Županović, Paško

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
MATH/CHEM/COMP/2004 / Graovac, Ante - Zagreb : Institut Ruđer Bošković, 2004

Skup
The 19-th Dubrovnik International Course and Conference on the Mathematics, Chemistry and Computer Sciences

Mjesto i datum
Dubrovnik, Hrvatska, 21.06.2004. - 26.06.2004

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Pozvano predavanje

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
enzyme; evolution; entropy production

Sažetak
Physicists are well aware that variational principles are very powerful way of describing the nature. There is no a priori reason why variational principles should not be applied to gain better understanding of biological evolution as well. The minimum entropy production theorem, promoted by Ilya Prigogine, has been the prime candidate for the variational principle from physics relevant for the description of biological phenomena. Recently, Roderick Dewar has derived the maximum entropy production principle, as the general selection principle for nonequilibrium stationary states. In this work we ask the question about present day free energy conversion performed by membrane enzymes important in bioenergetics. When they establish the stationary state is it closer to minimum or to maximum entropy production state? We show that such enzymes operate far from the thermodynamic equilibrium and much closer to the maximum then to the minimum entropy production state. From this result one can assume that biological evolution gradually produced structures designed to keep the system far from equilibrium, when associated dissipation must be high. High dissipation means that the thermodynamic evolution is accelerated in the presence of life. In other words, from the point of view of a physicist, increased entropy is identical goal for the thermodynamic and biological evolution.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Fizika

POVEZANOST RADA