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Communication-induced multistability and multirhythmicity in a synthetic multicellular system
1School of Mathematics and Computational Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Summary
Cell density, a measure of cell communication, can create complex behaviors like multistability and multirhythmicity in synthetic systems. This versatility allows cells to adapt to changing environments.
Area of Science:
- Synthetic biology
- Systems biology
- Cellular communication
Background:
- Cell-to-cell communication traditionally synchronizes cellular behavior.
- The role of cell density in complex cellular dynamics is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how cell density influences dynamics in a synthetic multicellular system.
- To explore the induction of multistability and multirhythmicity by cell density.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a synthetic multicellular system with coupled repressillator and hysteresis-based oscillators.
- Employed a quorum-sensing mechanism for intercellular coupling.
- Analyzed system behavior across a range of cell densities.
Main Results:
- At moderate cell densities, the system exhibited multistability, including homogeneous and inhomogeneous steady states.
- At higher cell densities, multirhythmicity emerged, featuring diverse oscillation modes (in-phase, antiphase, mixed-mode, bursting).
- Observed complex dynamics like periodic, quasiperiodic, and chaotic bursting.
Conclusions:
- Cell density is a critical factor inducing complex dynamic behaviors in multicellular systems.
- The observed versatility in cellular communication enhances adaptability to environmental changes.
- Findings suggest novel strategies for designing synthetic biological systems with tunable behaviors.
