Cell-to-cell Variability Serves as Information not Noise

Abstract

Organisms can adapt to the environment robustly despite large heterogeneity of cellular response. Heterogeneity of cellular responses has been regarded as noise, which reduces accurate information transmission. The heterogeneity consists of intracellular variation caused by stochasticity of biochemical reactions, and intercellular variation caused by differences in amounts of molecules (cell-to-cell variability). We found that intercellular variation increases gradualness of the multi-cellular dose-response (response diversity effect), resulting in increase of accuracy of information transmission. This “response diversity effect” is a novel mechanism that enables multi-cellular organisms to utilize cell-to-cell variability as information not noise.