Reaction-diffusion Models

Introduction

While single-cell models are useful for correctly implementing and debugging chemical reaction models, they are not sufficient to fully understand the real-life functionality of our system. Since an essential part of our system is increasing the perceived concentrations of lactate and AHL through co-localization, it is necessary to model the concentrations the chemical species though a reaction-diffusion system.

"Doughnut" model in COMSOL

Geometry

Assumptions

1. Target mammalian cell located in the center of the well
2. Constant rate of lactate production
3. E. coli bound to target cell abstracted into homogeneous layer around target cell
4. Two different forms of unbound E. coli
• Discrete: single cell of E. coli suspended in the medium
• Bulk: reactions of the rest of the E. coli simulated in same space as medium
5. Lactate represented as two states: inside and outside E. coli, denoted \(Lac_\text{int}\) and \(Lac_\text{ext}\), respectively
• \(Lac_\text{int}\) can diffuse freely through medium and membranes, \(Lac_\text{ext}\) cannot
• Use to simulate different import and export rates of lactate into E. coli
6. Bulk E. coli grow logistically

Concentration correction for differing volumes

Since we are assuming a fixed number of bound E. coli to the target cell and since diffusion occurs almost instantly in our well, the concentrations in the doughnut will be accurate if we set its radius such that the area is the correct value. \begin{align*} A_\text{doughnut} &= \pi(r_\text{target} + r_\text{doughnut})^2 - \pi r_\text{target}^2 = n_\text{bound}\pi r_\textit{E. coli}^2 = n_\text{bound}A_\text{bound}\\ \Rightarrow r_\text{doughnut} &= \sqrt{n_\text{bound} r_\textit{E. coli}^2 + r_\text{target}^2} - r_\text{target} \end{align*}

Four cases

To test whether our system acts as an AND gate on our two inputs (higher lactate production and co-localization signals), we combinatorially tested our system in environments with high vs. low lactate production and E. coli co-localization vs. dispersion.

Diffusion and transport of chemical species

Under alkaline conditions, E. coli actively import lactate via a proton-motive symporter. Thus, a cross-membrane transport reaction had to be implemented. Since this is not possible directly in COMSOL, we had to model lactate in two states. Suppose our reference is the subspace of the interiors of the E. coli. We then defined the two states \(Lac_\text{int}\) and \(Lac_\text{ext}\), denoting intracellular and extracellular lactate, respectively. \(Lac_\text{ext}\) is produced by the target cell and can diffuse freely though the medium and all membranes. \(Lac_\text{int}\) is in equilibrium with \(Lac_\text{ext}\) with rate constants set to maintain a 20-fold difference of lactate concentration between interior and exterior. $$ Lac_\text{ext} \mathop{\mathop{\xrightarrow{\hspace{4em}}}^{\xleftarrow{\hspace{4em}}}}_{k_\text{int}}^{k_{\mathrm{ext}}} Lac_\text{int} \qquad \frac{k_\text{int}}{k_\text{ext}}\approx 20 $$ In addition, only the \(Lac_\text{int}\) state can react with the other chemical species in the E. coli.

AHL is able to freely diffusion in the medium and across membranes. All other chemical species are only able to diffuse intracellularly. The effective diffusion coefficients of AHL and Lactate through the E. coli membrane \(D_e\) were approximated by the method proposed by [Stewart 2003] as a fraction of their respective diffusion coefficients in water \(D_{aq}\) by the relation $$\frac{D_e}{D_{aq}}\approx 0.25$$

Results

Parameter search on a simplified reaction-diffusion model in MATLAB