Korobkova, Ekaterina A.Emonet, ThierryPark, HeungwonCluzel, Philippe2014-02-102006Korobkova, Ekaterina A., Thierry Emonet, Heungwon Park, and Philippe Cluzel. 2006. Hidden stochastic nature of a single bacterial motor. Physical Review Letters 96, no. 5: 058105.0031-9007http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:11688765The rotary flagellar motor of Escherichia coli bacterium switches stochastically between the clockwise (CW) and counterclockwise (CCW) direction. We found that the CW and CCW intervals could be described by a gamma distribution, suggesting the existence of hidden Markov steps preceding each motor switch. Power spectra of time series of switching events exhibited a peaking frequency instead of the Lorentzian profile expected from standard kinetic two-state models. Our analysis indicates that the number of hidden steps may be a key dynamical parameter underlying the switching process in a single bacterial motor as well as in large cooperative molecular systems.en-USMarkov processesmolecular biophysicsbiochemistrymicroorganismJournal Article2014-02-1010.1103/PhysRevLett.96.058105