A big challenge in current biology is to understand the exact self-organization mechanism underlying complex multi-physics coupling developmental processes. Using multiscale computations of subcellular gene expressions and cell population dynamics that are based on first principles, it is shown that cell cycles can self-organize into periodic stripes in the development of E. coli populations from one single cell, relying on the moving graded nutrient concentration profile, which provides directing positional information for cells to keep their cycle phases in place. Resultantly, the statistical cell cycle distribution within the population is observed to collapse to a universal function and shows a scale invariance. Depending on the radial distribution mode of genetic oscillations in cell populations, a transition between gene patterns is achieved. When an inhibitor–inhibitor gene network is subsequently activated by a gene-oscillatory network, cell populations with zebra stripes can be established, with the positioning precision of cell-fate-specific domains influenced by cells’ speed of free motions. Such information may provide important implications for understanding relevant dynamic processes of multicellular systems, such as, biological development.

中文翻译：

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细胞群发育过程中细胞周期和基因表达的自组织原理

当前生物学的一大挑战是了解复杂的多物理场耦合发育过程背后的确切自组织机制。使用基于第一性原理的亚细胞基因表达和细胞群动力学的多尺度计算，表明细胞周期可以在大肠杆菌的发育过程中自组织成周期性条纹依赖于移动的分级营养浓度曲线，它为细胞提供了定向位置信息，以保持其循环阶段就位。结果，观察到群体内的统计细胞周期分布崩溃为通用函数并显示出尺度不变性。根据细胞群中遗传振荡的径向分布模式，实现了基因模式之间的转变。当抑制剂-抑制剂基因网络随后被基因振荡网络激活时，可以建立具有斑马条纹的细胞群，细胞命运特定域的定位精度受细胞自由运动速度的影响。这些信息可能为理解多细胞系统的相关动态过程提供重要意义，