Simplified Analysis for the Association of a Constrained Receptor to an Oscillating Ligand

Abstract

The stability of a bond cluster upon oscillated loads under physiological conditions is strongly regulated by the kinetics of association and dissociation of a single bond, which can play critical roles in cell–matrix adhesion, cell–cell adhesion, etc. Here, we obtain a simplified analysis for the bond association process of a constrained receptor to an oscillating ligand due to its diffusionindependence, which can facilitate the potential multiscale studies in the future. Based on the analysis, our results indicate that the mean passage time for bond association intriguingly saturates at high oscillating frequencies, and there can also surprisingly exist optimal bond elasticity for bond association. This work can bring important insights into understanding of the behaviors of bond cluster under cyclic loads at the level of a single bond.