Speaker
Description
Despite extensive research, the quantitative principles that govern the coordination between DNA replication and cell division in bacteria remain debated. Multiple theoretical models have been proposed, some postulating that a single regulatory process is sufficient to ensure replication–division coordination, while others argue that two concurrent processes are required for robust control. To enable the comparison of these approaches, we developed a unifying mathematical framework within which models can be consistently formulated and quantitatively compared. Through theoretical analysis, this talk will present the necessary and sufficient conditions under which independent replication and division cycles recover physiological cell behaviours. Beyond the correlation-based analyses extensively used to date, this talk will discuss within a comprehensive statistical framework that double-process models more accurately recapitulate experimental data across all growth conditions. Finally, a novel model will be introduced that robustly captures the replication-division coordination in every growth regime, and ensures the homeostasis of the cell DNA content.
