Von Neumann's growth model: statistical mechanics and biological applications

TL;DR

This paper reviews the statistical mechanics of Von Neumann's growth model and explores its application to cellular metabolism, revealing insights into optimality and flexibility in bacterial energy networks.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of Von Neumann's model applied to E. coli metabolism, highlighting physiological optimality and functional organization principles.

Findings

Optimal solutions exhibit microscopic flexibility.

Robust physiological functions emerge under optimal conditions.

Von Neumann's ideas aid in understanding cell energetics organization.

Abstract

We review recent work on the statistical mechanics of Von Neumann's growth model and discuss its application to cellular metabolic networks. In this context, we present a detailed analysis of the physiological scenario underlying optimality a la Von Neumann in the metabolism of the bacterium Escherichia coli, showing that optimal solutions are characterized by a considerable microscopic flexibility accompanied by a robust emergent picture for the key physiological functions. This suggests that the ideas behind optimal economic growth in Von Neumann's model can be helpful in uncovering functional organization principles of cell energetics.