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Thresholds in transient dynamics of signal transduction pathways
Katja Rateitschak1, Olaf Wolkenhauer
1Systems Biology and Bioinformatics Group, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock, Germany. katja.rateitschak@uni-rostock.de
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|February 11, 2010
Summary
Finite-time Lyapunov exponents reliably identify thresholds in biological transient dynamics. Metabolic control coefficients are less effective, sometimes missing thresholds or producing false positives.
Area of Science:
- Systems Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Transient dynamics in signal transduction pathways are crucial for cellular processes like differentiation and apoptosis.
- Quantitative methods are needed to analyze these dynamic biological signals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the predictive power of transient metabolic control coefficients and finite-time Lyapunov exponents.
- To identify thresholds separating different transient dynamic behaviors in biological systems.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of transient signal transduction pathways.
- Application and comparison of transient metabolic control coefficients.
- Application and comparison of finite-time Lyapunov exponents.
Main Results:
- The spectrum of finite-time Lyapunov exponents reliably identifies thresholds in transient dynamics.
- Metabolic control coefficients showed limitations in detecting all thresholds and produced false positives.
Conclusions:
- Finite-time Lyapunov exponents offer a robust method for threshold identification in biological transient dynamics.
- Transient metabolic control coefficients require further refinement for reliable threshold detection.
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