The effect of negative feedback loops on the dynamics of Boolean networks

Abstract

Feedback loops in a dynamic network play an important role in determining the dynamics of that network. Through a computational study, in this paper we show that networks with fewer independent negative feedback loops tend to exhibit more regular behavior than those with more negative loops. To be precise, we study the relationship between the number of independent feedback loops and the number and length of the limit cycles in the phase space of dynamic Boolean networks. We show that, as the number of independent negative feedback loops increases, the number (length) of limit cycles tends to decrease (increase). These conclusions are consistent with the fact, for certain natural biological networks, that they on the one hand exhibit generally regular behavior and on the other hand show less negative feedback loops than randomized networks with the same numbers of nodes and connectivity.

References in corpus (2)

• Singularly Perturbed Monotone Systems and an Application to Double Phosphorylation Cycles
• Kauffman networks with threshold functions

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Extremely chaotic Boolean networks
• Characterizing Attitudinal Network Graphs through Frustration Cloud
• Cooperative Boolean systems with generically long attractors I
• Large attractors in cooperative bi-quadratic Boolean networks. Part II
• Stabilizing and Destabilizing Effects of Embedding 3-node Subgraphs on State Space of Boolean Networks
• Algebraic Experimental Design: Theory and Computation