Cooperation among cancer cells as public goods games on Voronoi networks

Archetti, Marco (2016) Cooperation among cancer cells as public goods games on Voronoi networks. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 396. pp. 191-203. ISSN 0022-5193

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Abstract

Cancer cells produce growth factors that diffuse and sustain tumor proliferation, a form of cooperation among cancer cells that can be studied using mathematical models of public goods in the framework of evolutionary game theory. Cell populations, however, form heterogeneous networks that cannot be described by regular lattices or scale-free networks, the types of graphs generally used in the study of cooperation. To describe the dynamics of growth factor production in populations of cancer cells, I study public goods games on Voronoi networks, using a range of non-linear benefits that account for the known properties of growth factors, and different types of diffusion gradients. e results are surprisingly similar to those obtained on regular graphs and different from results on scale-free networks, revealing that network heterogeneity per se does not promote cooperation when public goods diffuse beyond one-step neighbours. e exact shape of the diffusion gradient is not crucial, however, whereas the type of non-linear benefit is an essential determinant of the dynamics. Public goods games on Voronoi networks can shed light on intra-tumor heterogeneity, the evolution of resistance to therapies that target growth factors, and new types of cell therapy.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	game theory,cancer,growth factors,cooperation,diffusion,voronoi,sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	17 Mar 2016 11:00
Last Modified:	12 May 2023 00:04
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/57512
DOI:	10.1016/j.jtbi.2016.02.027

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