KOICHIRO URIU - Synchronization of mobile coupled biological oscillators

Koichiro Uriu.

Theoretical Biology Laboratory, RIKEN, Saitama, Japan.

Martes 28/10/2014, 14 hs.

Aula Seminario, 2do piso, Pabellón I.

In this talk, we address the synchronization of mobile biological oscillators. Our study is motivated by a biological clock that works in the development of the vertebrate body plan. The biological clock consists of a population of cellular oscillators that can move around in space. We first introduce lattice theories for a population of mobile coupled oscillators to study the effect of their random movement on synchronization. Numerical simulations demonstrate that movement of oscillators enhances synchronization across a population. We derive an analytical expression for the interaction range of the oscillators effectively extended by their mobility. Then, we will discuss how synchronization dynamics of oscillators changes in the presence of their collective movement. Our theoretical results suggest that the precise quantification of movement of these biological oscillators is a key to understanding their synchronization dynamics in vertebrate tissues.