Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensing

Abstract The Escherichia coli chemoreceptors form an extensive array that achieves cooperative and adaptive sensing of extracellular signals. The receptors control the activity of histidine kinase CheA, which drives a nonequilibrium phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reaction cycle for response regul...

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Main Authors: David Hathcock, Qiwei Yu, Yuhai Tu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-10-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52799-0
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author David Hathcock
Qiwei Yu
Yuhai Tu
author_facet David Hathcock
Qiwei Yu
Yuhai Tu
author_sort David Hathcock
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The Escherichia coli chemoreceptors form an extensive array that achieves cooperative and adaptive sensing of extracellular signals. The receptors control the activity of histidine kinase CheA, which drives a nonequilibrium phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reaction cycle for response regulator CheY. Cooperativity and dissipation are both important aspects of chemotaxis signaling, yet their consequences have only been studied separately. Recent single-cell FRET measurements revealed that kinase activity of the array spontaneously switches between active and inactive states, with asymmetric switching times that signify time-reversal symmetry breaking in the underlying dynamics. Here, we present a nonequilibrium lattice model of the chemosensory array, which demonstrates that the observed asymmetric switching dynamics can only be explained by an interplay between the dissipative reactions within individual core units and the cooperative coupling between neighboring units. Microscopically, the switching time asymmetry originates from irreversible transition paths. The model shows that strong dissipation enables sensitive and rapid signaling response by relieving the speed-sensitivity trade-off, which can be tested by future single-cell experiments. Overall, our model provides a general framework for studying biological complexes composed of coupled subunits that are individually driven by dissipative cycles and the rich nonequilibrium physics within.
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spelling doaj-art-22e808d246774e0892eb0968f29fbe0b2025-08-20T02:17:46ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-10-0115111010.1038/s41467-024-52799-0Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensingDavid Hathcock0Qiwei Yu1Yuhai Tu2IBM T. J. Watson Research CenterIBM T. J. Watson Research CenterIBM T. J. Watson Research CenterAbstract The Escherichia coli chemoreceptors form an extensive array that achieves cooperative and adaptive sensing of extracellular signals. The receptors control the activity of histidine kinase CheA, which drives a nonequilibrium phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reaction cycle for response regulator CheY. Cooperativity and dissipation are both important aspects of chemotaxis signaling, yet their consequences have only been studied separately. Recent single-cell FRET measurements revealed that kinase activity of the array spontaneously switches between active and inactive states, with asymmetric switching times that signify time-reversal symmetry breaking in the underlying dynamics. Here, we present a nonequilibrium lattice model of the chemosensory array, which demonstrates that the observed asymmetric switching dynamics can only be explained by an interplay between the dissipative reactions within individual core units and the cooperative coupling between neighboring units. Microscopically, the switching time asymmetry originates from irreversible transition paths. The model shows that strong dissipation enables sensitive and rapid signaling response by relieving the speed-sensitivity trade-off, which can be tested by future single-cell experiments. Overall, our model provides a general framework for studying biological complexes composed of coupled subunits that are individually driven by dissipative cycles and the rich nonequilibrium physics within.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52799-0
spellingShingle David Hathcock
Qiwei Yu
Yuhai Tu
Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensing
Nature Communications
title Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensing
title_full Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensing
title_fullStr Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensing
title_full_unstemmed Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensing
title_short Time-reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation-enhanced cooperative sensing
title_sort time reversal symmetry breaking in the chemosensory array reveals a general mechanism for dissipation enhanced cooperative sensing
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52799-0
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AT qiweiyu timereversalsymmetrybreakinginthechemosensoryarrayrevealsageneralmechanismfordissipationenhancedcooperativesensing
AT yuhaitu timereversalsymmetrybreakinginthechemosensoryarrayrevealsageneralmechanismfordissipationenhancedcooperativesensing