NIH R01 · 2024
Cellular regulation of viscosity
Viscosity is fundamental to biochemical reactions and hence, life itself. Temperature affects the diffusion rate of molecules and in turn modulates the rate of reactions in non-living systems. For decades it has been assumed that cells in living organisms are subject to the same principles that connect temperature, viscosity, diffusion and reaction rates. Yet it has been a mystery how the incredibly complex diffusion-based interaction networks of a cell are robust to these fluctuations, since perturbation of reaction kinetics in even one pathway has the potential to impact multiple aspects of cellular functioning. The regulation of intracellular viscosity as a strategy to mitigate changes…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.