Stability and noise in biochemical switches

Abstract

Many processes in biology, from the regulation of gene expression in bacteria to memory in the brain, involve switches constructed from networks of biochemical reactions. Crucial molecules are present in small numbers, raising questions about noise and stability. Analysis of noise in simple reaction schemes indicates that switches stable for years and switchable in milliseconds can be built from fewer than one hundred molecules. Prospects for direct tests of this prediction, as well as implications, are discussed.

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Designer Gene Networks: Towards Fundamental Cellular Control
• Self consistent proteomic field theory of stochastic gene switches
• Stability and multi-attractor dynamics of a toggle switch based on a two-stage model of stochastic gene expression
• Exponential sensitivity of noise-driven switching in genetic networks
• Generalization learning in a perceptron with binary synapses
• Early signatures of regime shifts in gene expression dynamics
• A Max-Sum algorithm for training discrete neural networks
• Cell biology: Networks, regulation, pathways