Molecular Network Dynamics of Cell Cycle Control: Periodicity of Start and Finish

The cell division cycle is controlled by a complex regulatory network which ensures that the phases of the cell cycle are executed in the right order. This regulatory network receives signals from the environment, monitors the state of the DNA, and decides timings of cell cycle events. The underlying transcriptional and post-translational regulatory interactions lead to complex dynamical responses, such as the oscillations in the levels of cell cycle proteins driven by intertwined biochemical reactions. A cell moves between different phases of its cycle similar to a dynamical system switching between its steady states. The complex molecular network driving these phases has been investigated in previous computational systems biology studies. Here, we review the critical physiological and molecular transitions that occur in the cell cycle and discuss the role of mathematical modeling in elucidating these transitions and understand cell cycle synchronization.