Study reveals how enzymes influence nearby particles even in crowded cell-like environments, reshaping our understanding of molecular motion inside living cells.
The human body works through countless chemical reactions, and enzymes play a key role in making them happen. These tiny proteins act like little machines that keep our cells alive and active. Just as a toaster turns bread into toast, enzymes turn raw materials into useful products that help the body function.
Now, researchers at IITGN have found that enzymes do more than just speed up chemical reactions, they can also affect how tiny particles move around them.
Their new study, titled “Propagation of Enzyme-driven Active Fluctuations in Crowded Milieu” and published in Small (Wiley-VCH), shows that enzymes can generate subtle, sound-like waves that transmit energy to nearby particles, even in thick, cell-like environments.
Led by Prof Krishna K Dey, Associate Professor of Physics at IITGN, the team found that enzymes such as catalase and urease enhance the motion of microscopic particles (called tracers) around them, even when the surrounding environment is dense and viscous, similar to the inside of a living cell. “This is surprising because one would expect such crowded conditions to dampen any movement,” said Prof Dey. “Our findings challenge the conventional understanding of how energy and motion behave inside cells.”
Co-author Prof K. R. Jayaprakash, Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, added, “We observed that tracer motion was strongest in crowded media, suggesting that the environment itself helps in transferring energy from enzymes to nearby particles.”
To explain these unexpected results, the researchers proposed a new mechanism called the “Activity Induced Acoustic Stress Model.” According to this model, during catalysis, enzymes generate tiny, short-lived mechanical pressure waves, similar to mini sound waves, that travel through the medium and boost the movement of nearby particles. Theoretical calculations supported these findings, showing that multiple mechanisms may govern motion at the molecular scale in complex biological systems.
“These insights could help design enzyme-powered micro- and nanomotors for future biomedical applications such as targeted drug delivery, minimally invasive surgeries, and smart diagnostic tools,” said Diptangshu Paul, co-author from IITGN’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Reflecting on the broader significance, co-author Arnab Maiti remarked, “This study shows how even small molecules like enzymes can have a far-reaching influence on their surroundings — opening new directions for biophysical research.”
“In today’s world, it is important to understand the fundamentals of any concept to be able to apply the outcomes effectively,” noted Rik Chakraborty, the first author. “This is one such study that tells us a better story of how an enzyme and its behaviour toward its surroundings can be applied in this era of technology for human benefit.”
The research was supported by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), Ministry of Education (MoE-STARS), and the Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM).