title: Emergent decision-making in biological signal transduction networks.
abstract: The complexity of biochemical intracellular signal transduction networks has led to speculation that the high degree of interconnectivity that exists in these networks transforms them into an information processing network. To test this hypothesis directly, a large scale model was created with the logical mechanism of each node described completely to allow simulation and dynamical analysis. Exposing the network to tens of thousands of random combinations of inputs and analyzing the combined dynamics of multiple outputs revealed a robust system capable of clustering widely varying input combinations into equivalence classes of biologically relevant cellular responses. This capability was nontrivial in that the network performed sharp, nonfuzzy classifications even in the face of added noise, a hallmark of real-world decision-making.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 983135 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA.
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Helikar
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Konvalina
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heidel
authors.forename: Jim A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D008954:Models, Biological; D015398:Signal Transduction; D049490:Systems Biology