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Frustration-free states of cell fate networks: the case of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition
September 14, 2023 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Active Matter Seminar
Speaker: Herbert Levine (Northeastern)
Title: Frustration-free states of cell fate networks: the case of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition
Abstract: Cell fate decisions are made by allowing external signals to govern the steady-state pattern adopted by networks of interacting regulatory factors governing transcription and translation. One of these decisions, of importance for both developmental processes and for cancer metastasis, is the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In this talk, we will argue that these biological networks have highly non-generic interaction structures such that they allow for phenotypic states with very low frustration, i.e. where most interactions are satisfied. This property has important consequences for the allowed dynamics of these systems.