Stochastic Survival of the Densest and the Mitochondrial DNA Clonal Expansion in Ageing

Add to your list(s) Download to your calendar using vCal

• Nick Jones (Imperial College London)
• Friday 08 December 2023, 10:30-11:00
• Seminar Room 1, Newton Institute.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact nobody.

SPLW05 - Non-equilibrium explorations on the physics of life : remembering the biological physics of Tom McLeish

Clonal spread of DNA mutations is a fundamental phenomenon in both evolution and aging. High levels of mitochondrial DNA mutations are linked to muscle weakness in aging, which has a knock-on effect on overall health. For decades, scientists have asked how mitochondrial DNA harboring deleterious mutations can expand in skeletal muscle fibers. We provide evidence that this expansion could be driven by an unusual evolutionary mechanism, requiring only noise (stochasticity), a higher density of mutants, and a system with spatial structure. Critically, mutants need not replicate faster. This mechanism, that we have termed stochastic survival of the densest, can yield traveling waves of mutants even when the mutants are selectively eliminated, with potential applications in a range of evolutionary models.

This talk is part of the Isaac Newton Institute Seminar Series series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• All CMS events
• Featured lists
• INI info aggregator
• Isaac Newton Institute Seminar Series
• School of Physical Sciences
• Seminar Room 1, Newton Institute
• bld31

Note that ex-directory lists are not shown.