Multi-filament clock synchronization in Neurospora Crassa

An advection-reaction model system with inter-filamental quorum sensing and/or contact coupling describes the biological clock synchronization between multiple growing filamental cells of the microbial fungus, Neurospora Crassa. The reaction part of the model represents the biological clock network’s genetic processes. The advection part represents the intra-cellular transport of nuclei and cytoplasm towards the filamental growth tip. In a single filament, the model explains experimentally observed oscillatory spatio-temporal patterns of nuclear and molecular concentrations along the filament due to clock-controlled reaction processes, in combination with advective transport. Multiple filaments communicate to spatio-temporally synchronize these patterns of nuclear and molecular concentrations by way of the inter-filamental coupling processes. We explore how two groups of initially asynchronous clock-controlled filaments can find a common phase to collectively oscillate synchronously, driven either by quorum sensing only or by a combination of quorum sensing and inter-filamental contact coupling.