RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Four different mechanisms for switching cell polarity
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.06.16.155952
DO 10.1101/2020.06.16.155952
A1 Filipe Tostevin
A1 Manon Wigbers
A1 Lotte Søgaard-Andersen
A1 Ulrich Gerland
YR 2020
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/06/17/2020.06.16.155952.abstract
AB The mechanisms and design principles of regulatory systems establishing stable polarized protein patterns within cells are well studied. However, cells can also dynamically control their cell polarity. Here, we ask how an upstream signaling system can switch the orientation of a polarized pattern. We use a mathematical model of a core polarity system based on three proteins as the basis to study different mechanisms of signal-induced polarity switching. The analysis of this model reveals four general classes of switching mechanisms with qualitatively distinct behaviors: the transient oscillator switch, the reset switch, the prime-release switch, and the push switch. Each of these regulatory mechanisms effectively implements the function of a spatial toggle switch, however with different characteristics in their nonlinear and stochastic dynamics. We identify these characteristics and also discuss experimental signatures of each type of switching mechanism.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.