The utility of simple mathematical models in understanding gene regulatory dynamics.
In this review, we survey work that has been carried out in the attempts of biomathematicians to understand the dynamic behaviour of simple bacterial operons starting with the initial work of the 1960's. We concentrate on the simplest of situations, discussing both repressible and inducible systems and then turning to concrete examples related to the biology of the lactose and tryptophan operons. We conclude with a brief discussion of the role of both extrinsic noise and so-called intrinsic noise in the form of translational and/or transcriptional bursting.
Departments of Physiology, Physics & Mathematics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Michael C
MC
Mackey
Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Unidad Monterrey, Parque de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica, Apodaca NL, México.
Moisés
M
Santillán
Institute of Mathematics, University of Silesia, Bankowa, Katowice, Poland.
Marta
M
Tyran-Kamińska
Departamento de Matemáticas, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal, México DF, México.
Eduardo S
ES
Zeron
D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009876:Operon; D011387:Prokaryotic Cells / Q000502:physiology