The role of dimerization in noise reduction of simple genetic networks

Fluctuations are an intrinsic property of genetic networks due to the small number of interacting molecules. We study the role of dimerization reactions in controlling these fluctuations in a simple genetic circuit with negative feedback. We compare two different pathways. In the dimeric pathway the proteins to be regulated form dimers in solution that afterward bind to an operator site and inhibit transcription. In the monomeric pathway monomers bind to the operator site and then recruit another monomer to form a dimer directly on the DNA. We find that while both pathways implement the same negative feedback mechanism, the protein number fluctuations in the dimeric pathway are drastically reduced compared to the monomeric pathway. This difference in the ability to reduce fluctuations may be of importance in the design of genetic networks.