TY - JOUR T1 - A Quantitative Study of the Division Cycle of Caulobacter crescentus Stalked Cells A1 - Li, Shenghua A1 - Brazhnik, Paul A1 - Sobral, Bruno A1 - Tyson, John J Y1 - 2008/01/25 N2 - Author SummaryThe cell cycle is the sequence of events by which a growing cell replicates all its components and divides them more or less evenly between two daughter cells. The timing and spatial organization of these events are controlled by gene–protein interaction networks of great complexity. A challenge for computational biology is to build realistic, accurate, predictive mathematical models of these control systems in a variety of organisms, both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. To this end, we present a model of a portion of the molecular network controlling DNA synthesis, cell cycle–related gene expression, DNA methylation, and cell division in stalked cells of the α-proteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus. The model is formulated in terms of nonlinear ordinary differential equations for the major cell cycle regulatory proteins in Caulobacter: CtrA, GcrA, DnaA, CcrM, and DivK. Kinetic rate constants are estimated, and the model is tested against available experimental observations on wild-type and mutant cells. The model is viewed as a starting point for more comprehensive models of the future that will account, in addition, for the spatial asymmetry of Caulobacter reproduction (swarmer cells as well as stalked cells), the correlation of cell growth and division, and cell cycle checkpoints. JF - PLOS Computational Biology JA - PLOS Computational Biology VL - 4 IS - 1 UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0040009 SP - e9 EP - PB - Public Library of Science M3 - doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0040009 ER -