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Updated: Jan 12, 2026
08:13
Manipulation and Analysis of Cell Cycle-Dependent Processes in Budding Yeast
Published on: September 26, 2025
450
Cell cycle criticality as a mechanism for robust cell population control.
Benjamin D Simons1,2,3, Omer Karin4
1Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK.
Molecular Systems Biology
|November 6, 2025
Summary
Stem cells balance self-renewal and differentiation by tuning cell cycle duration. This mechanism, near a critical point, lengthens G1 phase, enhancing tissue repair and mutant suppression for better homeostasis.
Area of Science:
- Cellular dynamics
- Developmental biology
- Quantitative biology
Background:
- Tissue homeostasis relies on stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.
- The link between cell cycle progression and stem cell fate decisions is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a mechanistic framework analyzing cellular dynamics when cell fate is coupled to cell cycle duration.
- To investigate the role of cell cycle regulation in tissue homeostasis and stem cell behavior.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical modeling of cellular dynamics.
- Analysis of cell cycle regulatory networks and feedback mechanisms.
- Bifurcation theory applied to the G1-S transition.
Main Results:
- A model where mitogens control G1-S transition bifurcation.
- Cell cycle regulation near critical points lengthens G1 and increases variability.
- This strategy supports rapid tissue growth, repair, and mutant rejection.
- Prolonged G1 in stem cells may enhance self-renewal to suppress mutants.
Conclusions:
- Cell cycle regulation near critical points is advantageous for population dynamics.
- Stem cell G1 lengthening can be a strategy for mutant suppression.
- The framework explains G1 lengthening patterns and predicts regulatory roles in development, homeostasis, and aging.
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