Integrating cellular and molecular structures and dynamics into whole-cell models

A complete description of the state of the cell requires knowledge of its size, shape, components, intracellular reactions, and interactions with its environment—all of these as a function of time and cell growth. Adding to this list is the need for theoretical models and simulations that integrate and help to interpret this daunting amount of experimental data. It seems like an overwhelming list of requirements, but progress is being made on many fronts. In this review, we discuss the current challenges and problems in obtaining sufficient information about each aspect of a dynamical whole-cell model (DWCM) for simple and well-studied bacterial systems.