Steady state distributions of moving particles in one dimension: with an eye towards axonal transport.

Abstract

Axonal transport, propelled by motor proteins, plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of functional and structural components over time. To establish a steady-state distribution of moving particles, what conditions are necessary for axonal transport? This question is pertinent, for instance, to both neurofilaments and mitochondria, which are structural and functional cargoes of axonal transport. In this paper we prove four theorems regarding steady state distributions of moving particles in one dimension on a finite domain. Three of the theorems consider cases where particles approach a uniform distribution at large time. Two consider periodic boundary conditions and one considers reflecting boundary conditions. The other theorem considers reflecting boundary conditions where the velocity is space dependent. If the theoretical results hold in the complex setting of the cell, they would imply that the uniform distribution of neurofilaments observed under healthy conditions appears to require a continuous distribution of neurofilament velocities. Similarly, the spatial distribution of axonal mitochondria may be linked to spatially dependent transport velocities that remain invariant over time.