2026-01-29 東京科学大学
図1. 「マクスウェルの悪魔」が酵素の拡散速度を変えているイメージ図
<関連情報>
- https://www.isct.ac.jp/ja/news/kbgevnpccksp
- https://www.isct.ac.jp/plugins/cms/component_download_file.php?type=2&pageId=&contentsId=1&contentsDataId=3134&prevId=&key=539f50dccf1af4c489e3f014ed1c9645.pdf
- https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/flv6-zw1v
マクスウェルの悪魔としての酵素:酵素拡散の促進による化学平衡からの定常偏差 Enzyme as Maxwell’s Demon: Steady-State Deviation from Chemical Equilibrium by Enhanced Enzyme Diffusion
Shunsuke Ichii, Tetsuhiro S. Hatakeyama, and Kunihiko Kaneko
Physical Review Letters Published: 21 January, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/flv6-zw1v
Abstract
Enhanced enzyme diffusion (EED), in which the diffusion coefficient of an enzyme transiently increases during catalysis, has been extensively reported experimentally, although its existence remains under debate. In this Letter, we investigate what macroscopic consequences would arise if EED exists. Through numerical simulations and theoretical analysis, we demonstrate that such enzymes can act as Maxwell’s demons: They use their enhanced diffusion as a memory of the previous catalytic reaction, to gain information and drive steady-state chemical concentrations away from chemical equilibrium. Our theoretical analysis identifies the conditions under which this process could operate and discusses its possible biological relevance.
