Anomalous reaction kinetics and domain formation on crowded membranes

Using particle-based simulations, we show that anomalous diffusion in two-dimensional (2D) environments induces a strongly fractal reaction kinetics, i.e. time-dependent rate coefficients. While non-classical kinetics is anticipated already for normal diffusion due to the compactness of Brownian motion in 2D, the effect is even more pronounced when particles move via subdiffusion. As a consequence, strong reactant segregation is observed. Based on these findings, we argue that the experimentally observed subdiffusion of proteins on biomembranes may serve as a means to foster biochemical reactions in well-defined "hot spots" without the need for diffusion barriers. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2011