title: Cellular diversity promotes intercellular Ca2+ wave propagation.
abstract: Calcium ions are an important second messenger in living cells. Calcium signals in form of waves serve as a means of intercellular communication and thus represent a vibrant subject for experimental and theoretical investigations. Here we study the role of cellular variability on the occurrence of Ca2+ wave propagation in a net of diffusively coupled cells. Dynamics of individual cells is simulated by a mathematical model for Ca2+ oscillations. Structural diversity of cells is introduced via variations of the bifurcation parameters, which signify cell sensitivity for external stimulation. Remarkably, for sufficient values of variability Ca2+ waves emerge, which are mostly ordered for intermediate variability strength. We analyze the spatial profile via the autocorrelation function, which confirms a resonance-like response due to the cellular variability. Thus, the reported phenomenon is a novel observation of diversity-induced spatial coherence resonance in a tissue-like media.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, University of Maribor, Koroska cesta 160, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia. marko.gosak@uni-mb.si
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gosak
mesh_terms: D020013:Calcium Signaling; D002450:Cell Communication; D002477:Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015290:Second Messenger Systems; D015398:Signal Transduction