Cell volume distributions reveal cell growth rates and division times

Published

March 7, 2009

Author(s)

Michael W. Halter, John T. Elliott, Joseph B. Hubbard, Alessandro Tona, Anne L. Plant

Abstract

A population of cells in culture displays a range of phenotypic responses, even when those cells are derived from a single cell and are exposed to a homogeneous environment. Phenotypic variability can have a number of sources, including the variable rates at which individual cells within the population grow and divide. We have examined how such variations contribute to population responses by measuring cell volumes within genetically identical populations of cells where individual members of the population are continuously growing and dividing, and we have derived a function describing the stationary distribution of cell volumes that arises. The model includes stochastic parameters for the variability in cell cycle times and growth rates for individual cells of two different cell lines, and in the absence and presence of aphidicolin, a DNA polymerase inhibitor. The derivation and application of the model allows one to relate the stationary population distribution of cell volumes to extrinsic biological noise present in growing and dividing cell cultures.

Citation

Journal of Theoretical Biology

Volume

257

Issue

1

Pub Type

Journals

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Keywords

Biosystems and health, cellular heterogeneity

Citation

Halter, M. , Elliott, J. , Hubbard, J. , Tona, A. and Plant, A. (2009), Cell volume distributions reveal cell growth rates and division times, Journal of Theoretical Biology, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=832284 (Accessed October 14, 2025)