Re-visiting the intracellular pathway of transferrin on board of a mathematical simulation

Abstract

Modeling and simulation are transforming all fields of biology. Tools like AlphaFold have revolutionized structural biology, while molecular dynamics simulations provide invaluable insights into the behavior of macromolecules in solution or on membranes. In contrast, we lack effective tools to represent the dynamic behavior of the endomembrane system. Static diagrams that connect organelles with arrows are used to depict transport across space and time but fail to specify the underlying mechanisms. This static representation obscures the dynamism of intracellular traffic, freezing it in an immobilized framework. The intracellular transport of transferrin, a key process for cellular iron delivery, is among the best-characterized trafficking pathways. In this commentary, we revisit this process using a mathematical simulation of the endomembrane system. Our model reproduces many experimental observations and highlights the strong contrast between dynamic simulations and static illustrations. This work underscores the urgent need for a consensus-based minimal functional working model for the endomembrane system and emphasizes the importance of generating more quantitative experimental data -- including precise measurements of organelle size, volume, and transport kinetics -- practices that were more common among cell biologists in past decades.