Directed cell motion in response to an external chemical gradient occurs many biological phenomena such as wound healing, angiogenesis, and cancer metastasis. Chemotaxis is often characterized by the accuracy, persistence, speed of motion, but whether any these quantities physically constrained others poorly understood. Using a combination theory, simulations, 3D chemotaxis assays on single metastatic breast cells, we investigate links among different aspects chemotactic performance. In...

Chemotaxis is ubiquitous in many biological processes, but it still remains elusive how cells sense and decipher multiple chemical cues. In this study, we postulate a hypothesis that the chemotactic performance of under complex cues regulated by signal processing capacity cellular sensory machinery. The underlying rationale

Temperature sensing is a ubiquitous cell behavior, but the fundamental limits to precision of temperature are poorly understood. Unlike in chemical concentration sensing, not limited by extrinsic fluctuations field itself. Instead, we find that intrinsic copy number, turnover, and binding kinetics temperature-sensitive proteins. Developing model based on canonical TlpA protein, can estimate within 2%. We compare this prediction with vivo data bacteria.

Abstract Intercellular signaling in bacteria is often mediated by small molecules secreted cells. These disperse via diffusion which limits the speed and spatial extent of information transfer spatially extended systems. Theory shows that a secondary signal feedback circuits can up flow allow it to travel further. Here, we construct test several synthetic Escherichia coli determine what improve propagation bacterial We find positive feedback-regulated signals propagate further faster than...

Abstract Bacterial swimming alternates between straight runs for several seconds and tumbles into random directions. Chemotactic bacteria remember nutrient sensing history, change tumble frequency to move toward nutrients. A question that has not been addressed is the significance of nutrition gain multiplication bacterial population with chemotaxis mechanism. To quantify these effects, we introduce a microsimulation model, which seamlessly integrates detailed observations assumptions about...

Cell signaling networks are complex and often incompletely characterized, making it difficult to obtain a comprehensive picture of the mechanisms they encode. Mathematical modeling these provides important clues, but models themselves complex, is not always clear how extract falsifiable predictions. Here we take an inverse approach, using experimental data at cell level {deduce} minimal network. We focus on cells' response multiple cues, specifically surprising case in which antagonistic:...

Cells sense various environmental cues and subsequently process intracellular signals to decide their migration direction in many physiological pathological processes. Although several signaling molecules networks have been identified these directed migrations, it still remains ambiguous predict the under multiple integrated cues, specifically chemical fluidic cues. Here, we investigated cellular signal processing machinery by reverse-engineering cell We imposed controlled cells using a...

Microbial communities such as swarms or biofilms often form at the interfaces of solid substrates and open fluid flows. At same time, in laboratory environments these are commonly studied using microfluidic devices with media flows boundaries. Extracellular signaling within is therefore subject to different constraints than classic, closed-boundary systems developing embryos tissues, yet understudied by comparison. Here, we use mathematical modeling show how advective-diffusive boundary...

Summary Chemotaxis is ubiquitous in many biological processes, but it still remains elusive how cells sense and decipher multiple chemical cues. In this study, we postulate a hypothesis that the chemotactic performance of under complex cues regulated by signal processing capacity cellular sensory machinery. The underlying rationale vivo should be able to process cues, whose magnitude compositions are entangled, determine their migration direction. We experimentally show combination TGF-β EGF...

Abstract Cells sense various environmental cues and process intracellular signals to decide their migration direction in many physiological pathological processes. Although several signaling molecules have been identified these directed migrations, it still remains elusive how cells decipher multiple cues, specifically chemical fluidic cues. Here, we investigated the cellular signal processing machinery by reverse-engineering cell under integrated We exposed controlled using a microfluidic...

Cell signaling networks are complex and often incompletely characterized, making it difficult to obtain a comprehensive picture of the mechanisms they encode. Mathematical modeling these provides important clues, but models themselves complex, is not always clear how extract falsifiable predictions. Here we take an inverse approach, using experimental data at cell level deduce minimal network. We focus on cells' response multiple cues, specifically surprising case in which antagonistic: cues...