How Interactions Control Molecular Transport in Channels

The motion of molecules across channels is critically important for understanding mechanisms of cellular processes. Here we investigate the mechanism of interactions in the molecular transport by analyzing exactly solvable discrete stochastic models. It is shown that the strength and spatial distribution of molecule/channel interactions can strongly modify the particle current. Our analysis indicates that the most optimal transport is achieved when the binding sites are near the entrance or exit of the pore. In addition, the role of intermolecular interactions is studied, and it is argued that an increase in flux can be observed for some optimal interaction strength. The mechanism of these phenomena is discussed.