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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15232 |
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| _version_ | 1866914690622291968 |
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| author | ElGamel, Motasem Mugler, Andrew |
| author_facet | ElGamel, Motasem Mugler, Andrew |
| contents | Cells employ control strategies to maintain a stable size. Dividing at a target size (the `sizer' strategy) is thought to produce the tightest size distribution. However, this result follows from phenomenological models that ignore the molecular mechanisms required to implement the strategy. Here we investigate a simple mechanistic model for exponentially growing cells whose division is triggered at a molecular abundance threshold. We find that size noise inherits the molecular noise and is consequently minimized not by the sizer but by the `adder' strategy, where a cell divides after adding a target amount to its birth size. We derive a lower bound on size noise that agrees with publicly available data from six microfluidic studies on Escherichia coli bacteria. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2303_15232 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Effects of molecular noise on cell size control ElGamel, Motasem Mugler, Andrew Biological Physics Cells employ control strategies to maintain a stable size. Dividing at a target size (the `sizer' strategy) is thought to produce the tightest size distribution. However, this result follows from phenomenological models that ignore the molecular mechanisms required to implement the strategy. Here we investigate a simple mechanistic model for exponentially growing cells whose division is triggered at a molecular abundance threshold. We find that size noise inherits the molecular noise and is consequently minimized not by the sizer but by the `adder' strategy, where a cell divides after adding a target amount to its birth size. We derive a lower bound on size noise that agrees with publicly available data from six microfluidic studies on Escherichia coli bacteria. |
| title | Effects of molecular noise on cell size control |
| topic | Biological Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15232 |