Extinction rates in tumour public goods games
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2017

Cancer evolution and progression are shaped by cellular interactions and Darwinian selection. Evolutionary game theory incorporates both of these principles, and has been proposed as a framework to understand tumour cell population dynamics. A cornerstone of evolutionary dynamics is the replicator equation, which describes changes in the relative abundance of different cell types, and is able to predict evolutionary equilibria. Typically, the replicator equation focuses on differences in relative fitness. We here showthat this framework might not be sufficient under all circumstances, as it neglects important aspects of population growth. Standard replicator dynamics might miss critical differences in the time it takes to reach an equilibrium, as this time also depends on cellular turnover in growing but bounded populations. As the system reaches a stable manifold, the time to reach equilibrium depends on cellular death and birth rates. These rates shape the time scales, in particular, in coevolutionary dynamics of growth factor producers and free-riders. Replicator dynamics might be an appropriate framework only when birth and death rates are of similar magnitude. Otherwise, population growth effects cannot be neglected when predicting the time to reach an equilibrium, and cell-type-specific rates have to be accounted for explicitly.

replicator equation

logistic growth

evolutionary game theory

cancer evolution

fixation times

Författare

Philip Gerlee

Chalmers, Matematiska vetenskaper, Tillämpad matematik och statistik

Göteborgs universitet

P. M. Altrock

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute

University of South Florida

Journal of the Royal Society Interface

1742-5689 (ISSN) 1742-5662 (eISSN)

Vol. 14 134 20170342

Ämneskategorier

Bioinformatik (beräkningsbiologi)

DOI

10.1098/rsif.2017.0342

Mer information

Skapat

2017-10-30