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Paper   IPM / Biological / 18142
School of Biological Sciences
  Title:   Reactive/Less-cooperative individuals advance population's synchronization: Modeling of Dictyostelium discoideum concerted signaling during aggregation phase
  Author(s): 
1.  Zahra Eidi
2.  Najme Khorasani
3.  Mehdi Sadeghi
  Status:   Published
  Journal: PLOS ONE
  Year:  2021
  Pages:   e0259742
  Supported by:  IPM
  Abstract:
Orchestrated chemical signaling of single cells sounds to be a linchpin of emerging organization and multicellular life form. The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum is a well-studied model organism to explore overall pictures of grouped behavior in developmental biology. The chemical waves secreted by aggregating Dictyostelium is a superb example of pattern formation. The waves are either circular or spiral in shape, according to the incremental population density of a self-aggregating community of individuals. Here, we revisit the spatiotemporal patterns that appear in an excitable medium due to synchronization of randomly firing individuals, but with a more parsimonious attitude. According to our model, a fraction of these individuals are less involved in amplifying external stimulants. Our simulations indicate that the cells enhance the system's asymmetry and as a result, nucleate early sustainable spiral territory zones, provided that their relative population does not exceed a tolerable threshold.

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