What is it about?
Life’s core feature is self-reproduction. Classic laws such as Monod’s equation and Liebig’s law of the minimum describe how growth is limited by the nutrient availability; however, the underlying mechanisms remain enigmatic. We have theoretically proven that these laws arise from intracellular resource allocation. Our “global constraint principle” demonstrates the law of diminishing returns in cell growth and extends to multiple nutrients. This provides a rigorous, unified foundation for microbial growth laws.
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Why is it important?
The global constraint principle provides a theoretical basis for understanding the mechanisms of cellular growth, particularly in cases where growth is collectively limited by multiple nutrients; this concept is schematically represented by the idea of a 'terraced Liebig’s barrel' (see the paper for details). Looking ahead, this theoretical framework could inform applications in ecology and biotechnology, for example in the fermentation industry and biofuel production.
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This page is a summary of: Global constraint principle for microbial growth laws, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, October 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2515031122.
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