Cellular automata simulation of self-organization in the bacterial MinCDE system

The MinCDE protein complex is present in Escherichia coli and some other bacteria. In vivo, the MinCDE prevents incorrect cell division. In vitro, the MinCDE forms the protein waves and some other patterns. Recently, a hypothesis has been proposed, which says that self-organization in the MinCDE system arises from an interplay of two opposing mechanisms: cooperative binding of MinD to the membrane, and accelerated MinD detachment due to persistent MinE rebinding. On the basis of this hypothesis we have developed a cellular automaton model of the MinDE self-organization. A graph of the protein concentration, obtained as a result of computer simulations, reveals similarity with the graphs from the experiments in vitro. In addition, the visualization of computational experiments has shown propagating protein waves similar to those that emerge in vitro.