Limitations on concentration measurements and gradient discerning times in cellular systems

This work reports on two results. At first we revisit the Berg and Purcell calculation that provides a lower bound to the error in concentration measurement by cells by considering the realistic case when the cell starts measuring the moment it comes in contact with the chemoattractants, instead of measuring after equilibrating with the chemotactic concentration as done in the classic Berg and Purcell paper. We find that the error in concentration measurement is still the same as evaluated by Berg and Purcell. We next derive a lower bound on measurement time below which it is not possible for the cell to discern extracellular chemotactic gradients through spatial sensing mechanisms. This bound is independent of diffusion rate and concentration of the chemoattracts and is instead set by detachment rate of ligands from the cell receptors. The result could help explain experimental observations.

Automated summary

This work presents two results. Firstly, the error in concentration measurement by cells is found to be the same as previously evaluated, even when considering a more realistic case. Secondly, a lower bound on the measurement time is derived, which is independent of diffusion rate and concentration of the chemoattracts, and is determined by the detachment rate of ligands from cell receptors. This finding can help explain experimental observations.