LAUSR

Abstract Stochastic fluctuations (noise) are a fundamental characteristic of protein production. In this work, we explore how these fluctuations can originate from the stochasticity on division events. Here we consider the classical gene expression model with chromosome replication following the known Helmstetter & Cooper model. This model predicts intervals of the cell cycle where bacteria can have more than one copy of a particular gene. Considering the transcription rate as proportional to the number of chromosomes and division based on a continuous rate model, we explore how stochasticity in division or equivalently in cell size, could be transmitted to gene expression. Our simulations suggest that division can be an important source of such fluctuations only if chromosomes are replicating, otherwise, this noise is not well transmitted. This effect happens even if replication is deterministic. This work can be helpful in understanding cell cycle dynamics and their interplay with phenotypic variability.