On the dephasing of genetic oscillators.
The digital nature of genes combined with the associated low copy numbers of proteins regulating them is a significant source of stochasticity, which affects the phase of biochemical oscillations. We show that unlike ordinary chemical oscillators, the dichotomic molecular noise of gene state switching in gene oscillators affects the stochastic dephasing in a way that may not always be captured by phenomenological limit cycle-based models. Through simulations of a realistic model of the NFκB/IκB network, we also illustrate the dephasing phenomena that are important for reconciling single-cell and population-based experiments on gene oscillators.
Departments of Chemistry and Physics and Astronomy, and Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005.
Davit A
DA
Potoyan
Peter G
PG
Wolynes
D008390:Markov Chains; D008957:Models, Genetic; D013269:Stochastic Processes
gene networks; master equation; stochastic simulations