Entropy, Ergodicity, and Stem Cell Multipotency

Populations of mammalian stem cells commonly exhibit considerable cell-cell variability. However, the functional role of this diversity is unclear. Here, we analyze expression fluctuations of the stem cell surface marker Sca1 in mouse hematopoietic progenitor cells using a simple stochastic model an...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 115; no. 20; p. 208103
Main Authors Ridden, Sonya J, Chang, Hannah H, Zygalakis, Konstantinos C, MacArthur, Ben D
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 13.11.2015
Subjects
Animals
Ataxin-1 - biosynthesis
Entropy
Hematopoietic Stem Cells - metabolism
Hematopoietic Stem Cells - physiology
Mice
Models, Biological
Multipotent Stem Cells - metabolism
Multipotent Stem Cells - physiology
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:Populations of mammalian stem cells commonly exhibit considerable cell-cell variability. However, the functional role of this diversity is unclear. Here, we analyze expression fluctuations of the stem cell surface marker Sca1 in mouse hematopoietic progenitor cells using a simple stochastic model and find that the observed dynamics naturally lie close to a critical state, thereby producing a diverse population that is able to respond rapidly to environmental changes. We propose an information-theoretic interpretation of these results that views cellular multipotency as an instance of maximum entropy statistical inference.
ISSN:1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.208103