Evaluating the efficiency of cell mechanisms and systems

Resumo

We propose an approach for estimating the efficiency of biological systems and mechanisms in vivo. We compare two mechanisms for chemical transport: diffusion and endosome transport with a cargo along a system of microtubules. Our efficiency evaluation is based on a comparison of the organism’s energy expenditure for cell house-keeping and the transport system’s operation with the speed of cargo delivery. We study the relation between transport efficiency and adaptability of the transport network. Our approach can be used to study models of live systems and solve problems of artificial life design.