title: Toward a classification of isodynamic feed-forward motifs.
abstract: A preceding study analysed how the topology of network motifs affects the overall rate of the underlying biochemical processes. Surprisingly, it was shown that topologically non-isomorphic motifs can still be isodynamic in the sense that they exhibit the exact same performance rate. Because of the high prevalence of feed-forward functional modules in biological networks, one may hypothesize that evolution tends to favour motifs with faster dynamics. As a step towards ranking the efficiency of feed-forward network motifs, we use a linear flow model to prove theorems establishing that certain classes of motifs are isodynamic. In partitioning the class of all motifs on n nodes into equivalence classes based upon their dynamics, we establish a basis for comparing the efficiency/performance rates of different motifs. The potential biological importance of the theorems is briefly discussed and is the subject of an ongoing large-scale project.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1015 Floyd Avenue, Richmond, VA 23284-2014, USA.
authors.forename: Dewey T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Cain
authors.forename: Danail G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Bonchev
authors.forename: Stephen S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Advait A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Apte
authors.forename: Lauren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Pace
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001671:Biochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D016678:Genome; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000502:physiology; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods*