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Transcription fluctuation effects on biochemical oscillations
Ryota Nishino1, Takahiro Sakaue, Hiizu Nakanishi
1Department of Physics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Plos One
|April 18, 2013
Summary
Biochemical oscillations are sensitive to gene regulation timing. Finite regulation times cause significant fluctuations in oscillation period and amplitude, even with small molecular numbers. Periodicity is more stable than amplitude.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Systems Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Biochemical systems with feedback loops exhibit oscillations.
- Ordinary chemical systems differ from biochemical ones due to small molecule numbers and finite gene regulation times.
- Deterministic rate equations ignore molecular fluctuations, limiting their accuracy in biochemical systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of finite gene regulation time on biochemical oscillations.
- To systematically examine fluctuation effects due to finite gene regulation, a factor previously overlooked.
- To analyze how transcription regulation fluctuations influence oscillation period and amplitude.
Main Methods:
- Introduction of a new scale parameter, [Formula: see text], representing nuclear protein unbinding time.
- Focus on systems where fluctuations from small molecular numbers are negligible.
- Simulations using the system studied by Gonze et al. (2002).
Main Results:
- Biochemical systems show unexpected sensitivity to transcription regulation fluctuations.
- Oscillation periods fluctuate by approximately 30 minutes even with regulation times around 30 seconds.
- Distribution width of oscillation period and amplitude scales with [Formula: see text]; correlation time scales with [Formula: see text].
Conclusions:
- Finite gene regulation time significantly impacts biochemical oscillation dynamics.
- Period fluctuations are roughly half those of amplitude fluctuations, indicating greater periodicity stability.
- The study highlights the importance of considering molecular fluctuations in understanding biochemical system behavior.
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