Spatio-Temporal Modeling of the Biological Clock in Neurospora Crassa

A reaction-advection system is used to model oscillatory spatio-temporal pattern formation during the growth of filamental cells of the microbial fungus, Neurospora Crassa, controlled by its biological clock. In our model, the reaction term describes the biological clock network’s genetic processes and the proliferation of nuclei inside the growing filament. The advection term describes the intra-cellular transport of nuclei and cytoplasm towards the filamental growth tip. The advection is driven by the influx of extra-filamental fluid into the growing filament lumen and the resulting fluid flow towards the growth tip. The experimentally observed oscillatory spatio-temporal pattern of nuclear and molecular concentrations along the filament arises in our model as a consequence of the clock-controlled reaction processes, in combination with the advective transport. The model is also used to explore collective synchronization of clock oscillations across multiple filaments, driven by quorum sensing-type inter-filamental signaling. We also study effects of periodic spatial modulation of the filamental space-time dynamics which may arise when N. crassa filaments grow into serpentine-shaped microfluidic channels.