Cell Cycle Heritability and Localization Phase Transition in Growing Populations
Takashi Nozoe1, Edo Kussell1,2
1Department of Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, New York 10003, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|January 15, 2021
Summary
Cell division times exhibit a phase transition, leading to synchronized cell cycles and altered population growth. This fundamental cell biology discovery impacts understanding of population dynamics and aging.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Population Dynamics
- Statistical Physics
Background:
- Cell cycle duration is a key variable phenotype influencing population growth and age structures.
- Understanding the collective behavior of cell populations is crucial for various biological processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of heritable cell division times on population-level dynamics.
- To identify and characterize phase transitions in cell cycle duration distributions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of stationary solutions of a branching process model.
- Modeling heritable cell division times.
- Investigating phase transitions (continuous and first-order).
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a phase transition where a fraction of cells localize at a minimal division time.
- Observed coexistence of localized and delocalized age structures below the transition.
- Identified self-synchronization of cell cycles and altered population growth rates above the transition.
Conclusions:
- Cell cycle duration variability can lead to distinct population behaviors and phase transitions.
- These transitions influence population synchrony, age structure, and growth dynamics.
- The findings provide insights into collective cell behavior and aging processes.
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