ATP driven diffusiophoresis: active cargo transport without motor proteins

Morphogenesis and homeostasis of biological systems are intricately linked to gradient formation through energy dissipation. Such spatial organization may be achieved via reaction-diffusion or directional cargo transport, as prominently executed by motor proteins. In contrast to these processes that rely on specific protein interactions, active transport based on a non-specific, purely physical mechanism remains poorly explored. Here, by a joint experimental and theoretical approach, we describe a hidden function of the MinDE protein system from E. coli: Besides forming dynamic patterns, this system accomplishes the active transport of large, functionally unrelated cargo on membranes in vitro. Remarkably, this mechanism allows to sort diffusive objects according to their effective size, as evidenced using modular DNA origami-streptavidin nanostructures. We show that the diffusive fluxes of MinDE and cargo couple via density-dependent friction. This non-specific process constitutes a Maxwell-Stefan diffusiophoresis, so far undescribed in a biologically relevant setting. Such nonlinear coupling between diffusive fluxes could represent a generic physical mechanism for the intracellular organization of biomolecules.