Kinetic theory for structured populations: application to stochastic sizer-timer models of cell proliferation

Abstract

We derive the full kinetic equations describing the evolution of the probability density distribution for a structured population such as cells distributed according to their ages and sizes. The kinetic equations for such a "sizer-timer" model incorporates both demographic and individual cell growth rate stochasticities. Averages taken over the densities obeying the kinetic equations can be used to generate a second order PDE that incorporates the growth rate stochasticity. On the other hand, marginalizing over the densities yields a modified birth-death process that shows how age and size influence demographic stochasticity. Our kinetic framework is thus a more complete model that subsumes both the deterministic PDE and birth-death master equation representations for structured populations.