Population context determines cell-to-cell variability in endocytosis and virus infection

Susceptibility to drug treatment or viral infection can vary greatly from one cell to another even in a population of genetically identical cells cultured together, but until now the causes of this heterogeneity had not been investigated. Here, deterministic links are revealed between fundamental cellular features and a cell's population context — for example, whether a cell is localized at the centre or at the periphery of an island of adhering cells.