A generic rate equation for catalysed, template-directed polymerisation

作者：Hofmeyr Jan Hendrik S^*; Gqwaka Olona P C; Rohwer Johann M

来源：FEBS Letters, 2013, 587(17): 2868-2875.

DOI：10.1016/j.febslet.2013.07.011

• Template-directed polymerisation
• Generic rate equation

Biosynthetic networks link to growth and reproduction processes through template-directed synthesis of macromolecules such as polynucleotides and polypeptides. No rate equation exists that captures this link in a way that it can effectively be incorporated into a single computational model of the overall process. This paper describes the derivation of such a generic steady-state rate equation for catalysed, template-directed polymerisation reactions with varying monomer stoichiometry and varying chain length. The derivation is based on a classical Michaelis-Menten mechanism with template binding and an arbitrary number of chain elongation steps that produce a polymer composed of an arbitrary number of monomer types. The rate equation only requires the identity of the first dimer in the polymer sequence; for the remainder only the monomer composition needs be known. Further simplification of a term in the denominator yielded an equation requiring no positional information at all, only the monomer composition of the polymer; this equation still gave an excellent estimate of the reaction rate provided that either the monomer concentrations are at least half-saturating, or the polymer is very long.

• 出版日期2013-9-2