title: Biology using engineering tools: the negative feedback amplifier.
abstract: Negative feedback is an ubiquitous feature of biological networks. Recent work from Sturm and colleaguespresents experimental evidence that biological negative feedback can serve the same function as it does for engineered systems: robustness to perturbations within the feedback loop. Such behavior has important implications for how to attack deregulated signaling networks containing negative feedback in diseases such as cancer.
authors.affiliation: Systems Biology Ireland, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. marc.birtwistle@ucd.ie
authors.forename: Marc R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Birtwistle
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kolch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001695:Biology; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D006801:Humans; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases