The role of lipid and antioxidant exchanges in cell division synchronization (mathematical model)

Cell-cycle synchronization of two diffuse-coupled cells has been studied in the framework of the membrane model for the cell division cycle, proposed by Chernavskii et al. (1977). It has been shown semi-analytically (using the averaging principle) and by computer stimulation that a) if the duration of the G1-phase (TG1) for two identical cells is comparable with the duration of the remaining cycle (TS + G2 + M), the lipid (L)-exchange results in a synchronization with phase difference phi = 0. The antioxidant (A)-exchange leads to a phase-locking with phi = T0/2 (where T0 is the cell cycle period; b) if TG1 much greater than TS + G2 + M (or TG1 much less than TS + G2 + M) the L-exchange makes synchronization possible both with phi = 0 and phi = T0/2 while the A-exchange results in phase-locking with phi confined to the region 0 to T0/2; c) for non-identical cells differing in the values of kinetic parameters, the locking band narrows as the population density increases (when some model parameters are close to the bifurcation thresholds). We expect that the cells selected artificially at a definite phase of cycle might maintain the synchronous division for a long time if the lipid exchange between cells were stimulated.