Asymptotic analysis of noisy fitness maximization, applied to metabolism & growth. (30th December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: De Martino, Daniele; Masoero, Davide
• Is Part Of: Journal of statistical mechanics. (2016:Dec.)
• Publication Date: 2016-12-30
• Subjects: 10 -- 12; Statistical mechanics -- Periodicals; Mechanics -- Statistical methods -- Periodicals; 530.1305
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-5468/aa4e8f
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1742-5468

Abstract

Abstract: We consider a population dynamics model coupling cell growth to a diffusion in the space of metabolic phenotypes as it can be obtained from realistic constraints-based modeling. In the asymptotic regime of slow diffusion, that coincides with the relevant experimental range, the resulting non-linear Fokker–Planck equation is solved for the steady state in the WKB approximation that maps it into the ground state of a quantum particle in an Airy potential plus a centrifugal term. We retrieve scaling laws for growth rate fluctuations and time response with respect to the distance from the maximum growth rate suggesting that suboptimal populations can have a faster response to perturbations.