title: Computational approaches to cellular rhythms.
abstract: Oscillations arise in genetic and metabolic networks as a result of various modes of cellular regulation. In view of the large number of variables involved and of the complexity of feedback processes that generate oscillations, mathematical models and numerical simulations are needed to fully grasp the molecular mechanisms and functions of biological rhythms. Models are also necessary to comprehend the transition from simple to complex oscillatory behaviour and to delineate the conditions under which they arise. Examples ranging from calcium oscillations to pulsatile intercellular communication and circadian rhythms illustrate how computational biology contributes to clarify the molecular and dynamical bases of cellular rhythms.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Chronobiologie théorique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, CP 231, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goldbeter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003198:Computer Simulation; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D008954:Models, Biological; D010507:Periodicity
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium