Information transmission in a cell monolayer: A numerical study

Abstract

AbstractMotivated by the spatiotemporal waves of the MAPK/ERK activity crucial for long-range communication in regenerating tissues, we investigated stochastic homoclinic fronts propagating in channels constituted by directly interacting cells. We assessed the efficiency of long-range communication through these channels in terms of the rate of information transmission. We identified stochastic phenomena that reduce this rate, most notably front propagation failures, new front spawnings, and variability in the front velocity. A tradeoff between the frequencies of propagation failures and new front spawning determines the optimal channel width (which geometrically prescribes the length of the wave front). We found that the optimal frequency of initiating new waves is determined by a tradeoff between the input information rate (higher for more frequently initiated wave fronts) and fidelity of information transmission (lower for more frequently initiated wave fronts).