Combining a Toggle Switch and a Repressilator within the AC-DC Circuit Generates Distinct Dynamical Behaviors

Area of Science:

• Synthetic biology
• Genetic regulatory circuits
• Dynamical systems theory

Background:

• Understanding the link between genetic circuit topology and function is crucial.
• The relationship between circuit structure and emergent dynamical behaviors remains poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the range of dynamical behaviors exhibited by the AC-DC genetic circuit.
• To investigate how combining toggle switch and repressilator motifs generates novel behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized dynamical systems theory to analyze the AC-DC circuit.
• Investigated parameter space to identify regions of bistability and oscillation.

Main Results:

• The AC-DC circuit displays both oscillations and bistability within the same parameter space.
• Identified two mechanisms for oscillation induction, one enhancing oscillator coherence.
• Demonstrated excitable system behavior, enabling spatial signal propagation and coherence resonance in the presence of noise.

Conclusions:

• Combinations of simple genetic motifs can yield multiple complex dynamical behaviors.
• The AC-DC circuit exhibits emergent properties beyond those of its constituent toggle switch and repressilator components.
• This work provides insights into designing synthetic gene circuits with diverse functional capabilities.