Listening to the noise: random fluctuations reveal gene network parameters.
The cellular environment is abuzz with noise originating from the inherent random motion of reacting molecules in the living cell. In this noisy environment, clonal cell populations show cell-to-cell variability that can manifest significant phenotypic differences. Noise-induced stochastic fluctuations in cellular constituents can be measured and their statistics quantified. We show that these random fluctuations carry within them valuable information about the underlying genetic network. Far from being a nuisance, the ever-present cellular noise acts as a rich source of excitation that, when processed through a gene network, carries its distinctive fingerprint that encodes a wealth of information about that network. We show that in some cases the analysis of these random fluctuations enables the full identification of network parameters, including those that may otherwise be difficult to measure. This establishes a potentially powerful approach for the identification of gene networks and offers a new window into the workings of these networks.
Munsky
Brian
B
Computer, Computational, and Statistical Sciences Division (CCS), and the Theoretical (T) Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
Trinh
Brooke
B
Khammash
Mustafa
M
D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007544:Isopropyl Thiogalactoside / Q000378:metabolism; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics; D008957:Models, Genetic; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007544:Isopropyl Thiogalactoside