“分叉点”
用英语怎么说？

Over the past two decades, advanced experimental tools have allowed scientists to measure gene expression in thousands of individual cells simultaneously. By analyzing this data, researchers can generate mathematical maps that track how cells transform over time. In these models, stable cell states correspond to valleys or attractors, where cells are naturally drawn by biochemical signals. For example, blood-forming stem cells reach a branching point where they must decide whether to become red or white blood cells. A small group of key genes governs these cell-fate decisions, providing robustness against molecular noise.

在过去二十年里，先进的实验工具使科学家能够同时测定数千个单细胞中的基因表达。通过分析这些数据，研究人员可以生成数学图谱，追踪细胞随时间发生的变化。在这些模型中，稳定的细胞状态对应于山谷或引力子，细胞会自然而然地被生物化学信号吸引至此。例如，造血干细胞会到达一个分叉点，在此它们必须决定是变成红细胞还是白细胞。一小群关键基因主导着这些细胞命运决策，为抵御分子噪音提供了稳健性。