title: Phenotypic diversity and chaos in a minimal cell model.
abstract: Gánti's chemoton model (Gánti, T., 2002. On the early evolution of biological periodicity. Cell. Biol. Int. 26, 729) is considered as an iconic example of a minimal protocell including three key subsystems: membrane, metabolism and information. The three subsystems are connected through stoichiometrical coupling which ensures the existence of a replication cycle for the chemoton. Our detailed exploration of a version of this model indicates that it displays a wide range of complex dynamics, from regularity to chaos. Here, we report the presence of a very rich set of dynamical patterns potentially displayed by a protocell as described by this implementation of a chemoton-like model. The implications for early cellular evolution and synthesis of artificial cells are discussed.
authors.affiliation: ICREA-Complex Systems Lab, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (GRIB), Dr. Aiguader 80, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. andreea.munteanu@upf.edu
authors.forename: Andreea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Munteanu
authors.forename: Ricard V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Solé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002455:Cell Division; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D008954:Models, Biological; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D000069497:Origin of Life; D010641:Phenotype