title: Stochastically driven genetic circuits.
abstract: Transcriptional regulation in small genetic circuits exhibits large stochastic fluctuations. Recent experiments have shown that a significant fraction of these fluctuations is caused by extrinsic factors. In this paper we review several theoretical and computational approaches to modeling of small genetic circuits driven by extrinsic stochastic processes. We propose a simplified approach to this problem, which can be used in the case when extrinsic fluctuations dominate the stochastic dynamics of the circuit (as appears to be the case in eukaryots). This approach is applied to a model of a single nonregulated gene that is driven by a certain gating process that affects the rate of transcription, and to a simplified version of the galactose utilization circuit in yeast.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Nonlinear Science, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0402, USA.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Tsimring
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Volfson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hasty
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D015233:Models, Statistical; D017711:Nonlinear Dynamics; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors