Cell cycle criticality as a mechanism for robust cell population control

ABSTRACT: Tissue homeostasis requires a precise balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. While fate decisions are known to be closely linked with cell cycle progression, the functional significance of this relationship is unclear. We propose a mechanistic framework to analyse cellular dynamics when cell fate is coupled to cell cycle duration. Our model highlights a unique aspect of cell cycle regulation where mitogens serve as control parameters for a bifurcation governing the G1-S transition. Under competitive feedback from cell-cell interactions, the cell cycle regulatory network fine-tunes near the critical point of this bifurcation. Critical positioning lengthens G1 while amplifying cell-to-cell variability in mitogenic signalling and biochemical states. Such regulation confer

SUBMITTER: Benjamin, David Simons 

PROVIDER: S-SCDT-10_1038-S44320-025-00164-8 | biostudies-other |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other