Phase separation provides a mechanism to drive phenotype switching.
Phys Rev E
; 109(6-1): 064414, 2024 Jun.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39021038
ABSTRACT
Phenotypic switching plays a crucial role in cell fate determination across various organisms. Recent experimental findings highlight the significance of protein compartmentalization via liquid-liquid phase separation in influencing such decisions. However, the precise mechanism through which phase separation regulates phenotypic switching remains elusive. To investigate this, we established a mathematical model that couples a phase separation process and a gene expression process with feedback. We used the chemical master equation theory and mean-field approximation to study the effects of phase separation on the gene expression products. We found that phase separation can cause bistability and bimodality. Furthermore, phase separation can control the bistable properties of the system, such as bifurcation points and bistable ranges. On the other hand, in stochastic dynamics, the droplet phase exhibits double peaks within a more extensive phase separation threshold range than the dilute phase, indicating the pivotal role of the droplet phase in cell fate decisions. These findings propose an alternative mechanism that influences cell fate decisions through the phase separation process. As phase separation is increasingly discovered in gene regulatory networks, related modeling research can help build biomolecular systems with desired properties and offer insights into explaining cell fate decisions.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Fenotipo
/
Modelos Biológicos
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Phys Rev E
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos