{"title":"Structural constraints limit the regime of optimal flux in autocatalytic reaction networks","authors":"Armand Despons, Yannick De Decker, David Lacoste","doi":"10.1038/s42005-024-01704-8","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Autocatalytic chemical networks play a predominant role in a large number of natural systems such as in metabolic pathways and in ecological networks. Despite recent efforts, the precise impact of thermodynamic constraints on these networks remains elusive. In this work, we present a theoretical framework that allows specific bounds on the thermodynamic affinity and on the concentrations of autocatalysts in mass-action autocatalytic networks. These bounds can be obtained solely from the stoichiometry of the underlying chemical reaction network, and are independent from the numerical values of kinetic parameters. This property holds in the specific regime where all the fluxes of the network are tightly coupled and maximal. Our method is applicable to large networks, and can be used to complement constraints-based modeling methods of metabolic networks, which typically do not provide predictions about thermodynamic properties or concentration ranges of metabolites. Autocatalytic chemical networks are crucial in natural systems like metabolic pathways and ecological networks. This study presents a framework to find bounds on thermodynamic affinity and autocatalyst concentrations using stoichiometry, enhancing our understanding of these networks’ behavior without relying on kinetic parameters.","PeriodicalId":10540,"journal":{"name":"Communications Physics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":5.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42005-024-01704-8.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Communications Physics","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42005-024-01704-8","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Autocatalytic chemical networks play a predominant role in a large number of natural systems such as in metabolic pathways and in ecological networks. Despite recent efforts, the precise impact of thermodynamic constraints on these networks remains elusive. In this work, we present a theoretical framework that allows specific bounds on the thermodynamic affinity and on the concentrations of autocatalysts in mass-action autocatalytic networks. These bounds can be obtained solely from the stoichiometry of the underlying chemical reaction network, and are independent from the numerical values of kinetic parameters. This property holds in the specific regime where all the fluxes of the network are tightly coupled and maximal. Our method is applicable to large networks, and can be used to complement constraints-based modeling methods of metabolic networks, which typically do not provide predictions about thermodynamic properties or concentration ranges of metabolites. Autocatalytic chemical networks are crucial in natural systems like metabolic pathways and ecological networks. This study presents a framework to find bounds on thermodynamic affinity and autocatalyst concentrations using stoichiometry, enhancing our understanding of these networks’ behavior without relying on kinetic parameters.
期刊介绍:
Communications Physics is an open access journal from Nature Research publishing high-quality research, reviews and commentary in all areas of the physical sciences. Research papers published by the journal represent significant advances bringing new insight to a specialized area of research in physics. We also aim to provide a community forum for issues of importance to all physicists, regardless of sub-discipline.
The scope of the journal covers all areas of experimental, applied, fundamental, and interdisciplinary physical sciences. Primary research published in Communications Physics includes novel experimental results, new techniques or computational methods that may influence the work of others in the sub-discipline. We also consider submissions from adjacent research fields where the central advance of the study is of interest to physicists, for example material sciences, physical chemistry and technologies.