When faced with a variable environment, organisms may switch between different strategies according to some probabilistic rule. In an infinite population, evolution is expected to favor the rule that maximizes geometric mean fitness. If some environments are encountered only rarely, selection may not be strong enough for optimal switching probabilities to evolve. Here we calculate the evolution...

The ability to regulate cellular protein activity offers a broad range of biotechnological and biomedical applications. Such protein regulation can be achieved by modulating the specific protein activity or through processes that regulate the amount of protein in the cell. We have previously demonstrated that the nonhomologous recombination of the genes encoding maltose binding protein (MBP) an...

Microorganisms often exhibit a history-dependent phenotypic response after exposure to a stimulus which can be imperative for proper function. However, cells frequently experience unexpected environmental perturbations that might induce phenotypic switching. How cells maintain phenotypic states in the face of environmental fluctuations remains an open question. Here, we use environmental pertur...

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) comprise the muscular layer of blood vessel walls and mediate arterial tone and blood pressure. These cells possess a remarkable plasticity that allows mature contractile myocytes to dedifferentiate, enabling vessel growth and repair. This unusual ability to dedifferentiate is especially important because SMC phenotypic modulation contributes to multiple card...

RATIONALE AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been reported to play a protective role in atherosclerosis. However, whether AMPKα2 controls atherosclerotic plaque stability remains unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of AMPKα2 deletion on atherosclerotic plaque stability in advanced atherosclerosis at the brachiocephalic arteries and to elucidate the underly...

There has been a resurgence of interest in non-equilibrium stochastic processes in recent years, driven in part by the observation that the number of molecules (genes, mRNA, proteins) involved in gene expression are often of order 1–1000. This means that deterministic mass-action kinetics tends to break down, and one needs to take into account the discrete, stochastic nature of biochemical reac...

Cellular switching from an epithelial-to-mesenchymal phenotype, and conversely from a mesenchymal-toepithelial phenotype, are important biological programs that are operative from conception to death in mammalian organisms. Indeed, the capacity of cells to switch between these states has been fundamental to the generation of complex body patterns throughout evolution. Phenotypic switching from ...

Cellular switching from an epithelial-to-mesenchymal phenotype, and conversely from a mesenchymal-toepithelial phenotype, are important biological programs that are operative from conception to death in mammalian organisms. Indeed, the capacity of cells to switch between these states has been fundamental to the generation of complex body patterns throughout evolution. Phenotypic switching from ...