Evolutionary timeline of a modeled cell

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical model of cell evolution revealing four phases of self-organization, from nutrient dominance to a steady state with Zipf's law distribution of core chemicals.

Contribution

It introduces a novel intracellular reaction network model combined with mutation-selection dynamics to elucidate cell evolution stages.

Findings

Identification of four distinct self-organization phases

Emergence of a highly connected core component

Steady state with Zipf's law distribution of chemical concentrations

Abstract

A theoretical study of cell evolution is presented here. By using a toolbox containing an intracellular catalytic reaction network model and a mutation-selection process, four distinct phases of self-organization were unveiled. First, the nutrients prevail as the central substrate of the chemical reactions. Second, the cell becomes a small-world. Third, a highly connected core component emerges, concurrently with the nutrient carriers becoming the central product of reactions. Finally, the cell reaches a steady configuration where the concentrations of the core chemical species are described by Zipf's law.