Cell Population Dynamics Informed by Cell-Cycle Regulation: A Deterministic Modeling Toolkit

Area of Science:

• Mathematical Biology
• Cell Biology
• Systems Biology

Background:

• Cell population dynamics are governed by cell division, arrest, and death, fundamentally linked to cell-cycle progression.
• Accurate modeling of cell-cycle regulation is crucial for understanding tissue homeostasis, tumor growth, immune responses, and bioprocesses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey deterministic mathematical frameworks for modeling cell-cycle-informed population dynamics.
• To provide a theoretical roadmap for translating intracellular cell-cycle regulation into empirically grounded population-level models.
• To organize models based on population structure and cell-cycle regulation specificity.

Main Methods:

• Review of deterministic mathematical models.
• Categorization of models by levels of population structure and cell-cycle regulation.
• Discussion of coupling approaches (coarse-grained to multiscale) and perturbation effects.

Main Results:

• Models range from phenomenological laws to structured descriptions resolving single-cell heterogeneity.
• Frameworks are presented based on increasing population structure and mechanistic cell-cycle specification.
• Approaches for coupling cell-cycle regulation to population dynamics and incorporating external perturbations are discussed.

Conclusions:

• Cell-cycle-aware population models are essential for bridging intracellular regulation and population-level phenomena.
• Future challenges include developing models with mechanistic resolution and experimental identifiability.
• This review aids researchers in selecting and applying appropriate models for diverse biological and biotechnological questions.