title: Dynamical modeling of the cell cycle and cell fate emergence in Caulobacter crescentus.
abstract: The division of Caulobacter crescentus, a model organism for studying cell cycle and differentiation in bacteria, generates two cell types: swarmer and stalked. To complete its cycle, C. crescentus must first differentiate from the swarmer to the stalked phenotype. An important regulator involved in this process is CtrA, which operates in a gene regulatory network and coordinates many of the interactions associated to the generation of cellular asymmetry. Gaining insight into how such a differentiation phenomenon arises and how network components interact to bring about cellular behavior and function demands mathematical models and simulations. In this work, we present a dynamical model based on a generalization of the Boolean abstraction of gene expression for a minimal network controlling the cell cycle and asymmetric cell division in C. crescentus. This network was constructed from data obtained from an exhaustive search in the literature. The results of the simulations based on our model show a cyclic attractor whose configurations can be made to correspond with the current knowledge of the activity of the regulators participating in the gene network during the cell cycle. Additionally, we found two point attractors that can be interpreted in terms of the network configurations directing the two cell types. The entire network is shown to be operating close to the critical regime, which means that it is robust enough to perturbations on dynamics of the network, but adaptable to environmental changes.
authors.affiliation: Engineering and Biomedical Physics Department, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute at Monterrey, Apodaca, Nuevo León, México; Genetic Engineering Department, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute at Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Quiñones-Valles
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Department, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute at Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Osorio
authors.affiliation: Genetic Engineering Department, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute at Irapuato, Irapuato, Guanajuato, México.
authors.forename: Agustino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez-Antonio
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016935:Caulobacter crescentus / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D007399:Interphase; D008954:Models, Biological
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins