Computer simulation of a living cell: Part I

This paper, to be presented in two parts, is concerned with the problem of a realistic and useful simulation of a living cell, the simple unicellular bacterium Escherichia coli, the program being written in Fortran IV for an IBM 360/67 computer. The object is to represent the cell in such a way as to simulate its growth in real environments of a living cell, as well as during changes from one chemical environment to another. This simulation could also supply useful information for answering current questions in biology. In Part 1 the authors consider the criteria for the success of the simulation, its reality and potential usefulness, and describe the method of simulation, as well as that of allosteric inhibition.