Multistability of synthetic genetic networks with repressive cell-to-cell communication.

We investigate an experimentally feasible synthetic genetic network consisting of two phase repulsively coupled repressilators, which evokes multiple coexisting stable attractors with different features. We perform a bifurcation analysis to determine and classify the dynamical structure of the system. Moreover, some of the dynamical regimes found, such as inhomogeneous steady states and inhomogeneous limit cycles can further be associated with artificial cell differentiation. We also report and characterize the emergence of chaotic dynamics resulting from the intercell coupling.