The Distinction Between Single-Cell and Population Dynamics

Abstract

The first eight chapters of this book focused on population-level average cell dynamics, which can be modeled by linear response equations using simple rules on a macroscopic scale. In these dynamics, the parameters governing the reaction system are relatively insensitive to large variations in their outcome. However, any changes to the network structure or topology can produce drastic consequences. On the other hand, Chap. 9 introduced the issue of uncertainty at the microscopic scale where specific biological processes, such as cell fate decisions, require biological randomness or noise of single cells to determine the final outcome. So, do these data indicate that interactions between single cells when they form a cell population lead to a deterministic governing principle, as an emergent property, on a global scale?