Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Cell Signaling Feedback Loops

Cell Signaling Feedback Loops

Positive and negative feedback loops are crucial for regulating biological signaling systems. These feedback loops are processes that connect output signals to their inputs.
Negative feedback loops
Most signaling systems have negative feedback loops that can perform different functions such as output limiter, and adaptation.
Output limiter
Upon receiving an input signal, the cellular response rapidly increases until a threshold is reached. Beyond this threshold, a negative feedback loop...

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses

Diversity in Cell Signaling Responses

The physiological function of a cell and cellular communication are outcomes of a range of extrinsic signals, intracellular signaling pathways, and cellular responses. No two cell types express the same repertoire of signaling components. Receptors are highly selective for their cognate ligands, but once activated, they can alter multiple cellular processes such as DNA transcription, protein synthesis, and metabolic activity.
Graded and Abrupt Responses
Some signaling systems generate...

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze...

Linear Approximation in Frequency Domain

Linear Approximation in Frequency Domain

Linear systems are characterized by two main properties: superposition and homogeneity. Superposition allows the response to multiple inputs to be the sum of the responses to each individual input. Homogeneity ensures that scaling an input by a scalar results in the response being scaled by the same scalar.
In contrast, nonlinear systems do not inherently possess these properties. However, for small deviations around an operating point, a nonlinear system can often be approximated as linear....

Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers

Amplifying Signals via Second Messengers

Many receptor binding ligands are hydrophilic; they do not cross the cell membrane but bind to cell-surface receptors. Thus, their message must be relayed by second messengers present in the cell cytoplasm. There are several second messenger pathways, each with its own way of relaying information. For example, the G protein-coupled receptors can activate both phosphoinositol and cyclic AMP (cAMP) second messenger pathways. The phosphoinositol pathway is active when the receptor induces...

Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Causes of Nonlinearity

Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Causes of Nonlinearity

Nonlinearity in drug pharmacokinetics is caused by various factors influencing how a drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted. Understanding these nonlinear processes is crucial for predicting drug behavior in the body and optimizing drug dosing regimens.
Nonlinear drug absorption can occur when the process is rate-limited by solubility, carrier-mediated transport systems, or saturation of the presystemic gut wall or hepatic metabolism. For instance, high doses of riboflavin...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A standardized workflow for kinetic metabolic model curation and dissemination.

PLoS computational biology·2026

Same author

Antimony 3: Extending human-readable model definitions for SBML Level 3 Core and Packages.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

From FAIR to CURE: guidelines for computational models of biological systems.

NPJ systems biology and applications·2026

Same author

Evaluating the limitations of Bayesian metabolic control analysis.

PLoS computational biology·2026

Same author

Verification and reproducible curation of the BioModels repository.

PLoS computational biology·2025

Same author

A Roadmap for the Future of Systems Biology in Cancer Research.

Cancer research·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Published on: April 27, 2021

Nonlinear biochemical signal processing via noise propagation.

Kyung Hyuk Kim¹, Hong Qian, Herbert M Sauro

¹Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, William H. Foege Building, Box 355061, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.

The Journal of Chemical Physics

|October 15, 2013

Summary

Cellular noise, arising from low molecule counts, significantly impacts cell behavior. This study introduces a quantitative method to analyze noise propagation, revealing its dual effect on sensitivity and enabling the design of novel biochemical signal processors.

More Related Videos

Sealable Femtoliter Chamber Arrays for Cell-free Biology

Sealable Femtoliter Chamber Arrays for Cell-free Biology

Published on: March 11, 2015

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Published on: August 4, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Continuous Measurement of Biological Noise in Escherichia Coli Using Time-lapse Microscopy

Published on: April 27, 2021

Sealable Femtoliter Chamber Arrays for Cell-free Biology

Sealable Femtoliter Chamber Arrays for Cell-free Biology

Published on: March 11, 2015

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Using Insect Electroantennogram Sensors on Autonomous Robots for Olfactory Searches

Published on: August 4, 2014

Area of Science:

Biochemistry
Systems Biology
Cellular Biophysics

Background:

Single-cell studies reveal phenotypic variability due to stochastic intracellular biochemical reactions.
Low molecule abundance amplifies biochemical fluctuations, or "noise," which propagates through regulatory networks.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a quantitative method for analyzing how noise affects cellular phenotypes by identifying system nonlinearities and noise propagation pathways.
To explore the dual role of noise in enhancing or reducing cellular sensitivities.
To design novel biochemical signal processing modules engineered using noise-induced phenomena.

Main Methods:

Developed an intuitive, quantitative method to analyze noise effects on cellular phenotypes.
Identified system nonlinearities and noise propagation characteristics.
Designed and analyzed three biochemical signal processing modules based on noise-induced effects.

Main Results:

Noise can simultaneously enhance sensitivity in one cellular response region while reducing it in another.
Designed a gene regulatory network functioning as a concentration detector with enhanced amplitude and sensitivity.
Engineered a non-cooperative positive feedback system that becomes a bistable switch due to noise-induced ultra-sensitivity.
Developed a noise-induced linear amplifier for gene regulation without requiring feedback.

Conclusions:

Noise propagation in biochemical networks can be quantitatively analyzed to understand its impact on cellular phenotypes.
Noise can be harnessed to engineer novel biochemical signal processors with enhanced functionalities, such as concentration detection, bistable switching, and linear amplification.
This work provides a framework for understanding and designing nonlinear biochemical signal processors based on fluctuation-induced phenotypes.