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Just-in-time DNA replication.

Complete and timely replication of the genome is a prerequisite to fulfilling the “dream” of every cell to become two cells [1]. So far, biologists have been successful in identifying the processes involved in DNA replication, but they have not been able to explain a fundamental control problem that cells face, the so-called “random-completion” or “random-gap” problem: how do cells ensure that every last piece of the genome is replicated on time [2]? In a paper in Physical Review E, Scott Yang and John Bechhoefer of Simon Fraser University use insights from condensed-matter physics to answer this question [3]. Using a physical model originally developed to describe the kinetics of first-order phase transitions, they show that, despite the intrinsic stochasticity of the initiation of DNA replication, cells can still control the amount of time it takes to replicate the genome. The authors thus provide a rigorous solution to a long-standing problem in cell biology. The elegance of their formal approach bridging physics and biology, and the depth of their analysis, should inspire scientists from both disciplines.