Decomposing bulk signals to reveal hidden information in processive enzyme reactions: A case study in mRNA translation
Fig 1
Schematic representation of the decomposition of ensemble time traces.
a): The action of an individual processive enzyme is monitored over time. Changes in the signal are interpreted to obtain a detailed picture of step-by-step transitions and related kinetics of this molecule. b): Ensemble time trace for a large number of enzymes in parallel. The detected signal is a superposition of all individual signals. Due to the stochasticity of biochemical processes, these individual signals differ from each other to some extend. Consequently, the features of the individual signals are blurred or even lost during superposition. c): The ensemble time trace needs to be computationally decomposed to reveal the hidden information on the transitions of a single molecule.