A comprehensive, mechanistically detailed, and executable model of the cell division cycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Nat Commun. 2019 Mar 21;10(1):1308. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08903-w.

Abstract

Understanding how cellular functions emerge from the underlying molecular mechanisms is a key challenge in biology. This will require computational models, whose predictive power is expected to increase with coverage and precision of formulation. Genome-scale models revolutionised the metabolic field and made the first whole-cell model possible. However, the lack of genome-scale models of signalling networks blocks the development of eukaryotic whole-cell models. Here, we present a comprehensive mechanistic model of the molecular network that controls the cell division cycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We use rxncon, the reaction-contingency language, to neutralise the scalability issues preventing formulation, visualisation and simulation of signalling networks at the genome-scale. We use parameter-free modelling to validate the network and to predict genotype-to-phenotype relationships down to residue resolution. This mechanistic genome-scale model offers a new perspective on eukaryotic cell cycle control, and opens up for similar models-and eventually whole-cell models-of human cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Cycle / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal*
  • Gene Regulatory Networks
  • Genetic Association Studies
  • Genome, Fungal*
  • Metabolic Networks and Pathways / genetics
  • Models, Genetic*
  • Programming Languages
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / metabolism
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Systems Biology / methods

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins