MODELLING THE CELL CYCLE WITH QUIESCENT COMPARTMENTS

Abstract

We propose and analyze a stochastic model for the main dynamical aspects of the cell cycle. A specific feature is the existence of quiescent compartments for each of the three cycle phases. In Sec. 2 the model is discussed in detail, with specific reference to possible simplifications with respect to the number of state variables and the nonlinear character of the transition rates. The stability problem is illustrated in Sec. 3, both in a stochastic and in a deterministic framework. A mathematical description of the popular flow cytometric measurement technique adds an output equation to the dynamical model. We then have a sufficiently well established formal structure to state and face subsequent estimation and identification problems, which can be formulated with reference to specific experimental setups.