Resource allocation determines alternate cell fate in Bistable Genetic Switch

Abstract

Living cells need a constant availability of certain resources to have a sustained gene expression process. Limited availability of cellular resources for gene expression, like ribosomes, along with a variation of resource affinity, significantly modifies the system dynamics. Factors like the variation in rate of binding, or variation in efficiency of the recruited resource have the potential to affect crucial dynamical phenomena like cell fate determination. In this paper, we have taken a very important motif, a bistable genetic toggle switch, and explored the effect of resource imbalance in this circuit in terms of the bifurcations taking place. We show that initial asymmetric biasing to resource via resource affinity or gene copy number, significantly modifies the cell fate transition, both in pitchfork and saddle node type bifurcation. Our study establishes that in a limited resource environment, controlled resource allocation can be an important factor for robust functioning of the synthetic or cellular genetic switches.