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Cell size control and gene expression homeostasis in single-cells
Cesar A Vargas-Garcia1, Khem Raj Ghusinga1, Abhyudai Singh1,2,3,4,5
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
Current Opinion in Systems Biology
|June 5, 2018
Summary
Cells utilize diverse strategies to maintain stable size and gene product concentration during growth and division. This cell size homeostasis optimizes proliferation and ensures consistent molecular levels across populations.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Systems Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cell growth and division are fundamental to life.
- Maintaining consistent cell size and gene product concentration is crucial for cellular function.
- Cell size can fluctuate dynamically during the cell cycle.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review how single-cell technologies provide insights into cell size control mechanisms.
- To explore strategies cells use to maintain cell size homeostasis.
- To discuss how gene product concentration is buffered against cell size variations.
Main Methods:
- Review of single-cell technologies and measurements.
- Analysis of diverse cell size control strategies across different organisms.
- Examination of gene expression and replication timing in relation to cell size.
Main Results:
- Cells employ strategies like timing cell-cycle events, regulating growth, and controlling daughter cell number for size homeostasis.
- Cell size homeostasis often leads to optimal cell size for maximal proliferation.
- Size-dependent gene expression and replication timing buffer gene product concentration.
Conclusions:
- Cell size control is a fundamental biological process with diverse strategies.
- Size homeostasis contributes to population-level fitness and stability.
- Gene product concentration homeostasis may have driven the evolution of size control mechanisms.
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