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Abstract

We examine the stochastic dynamics of two enzymes that are mechanically
coupled to each other e.g. through an elastic substrate or a fluid medium. The
enzymes undergo conformational changes during their catalytic cycle, which
itself is driven by stochastic steps along a biased chemical free energy
landscape. We find conditions under which the enzymes can synchronize their
catalytic steps, and discover that the coupling can lead to a significant
enhancement in the overall catalytic rate of the enzymes. Both effects can be
understood as arising from a global bifurcation in the underlying dynamical
system at sufficiently strong coupling. Our findings suggest that despite their
molecular scale enzymes can be cooperative and improve their performance in
dense metabolic clusters.