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Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients
Published on: August 22, 2018
Coloured noise induces phenotypic diversity with energy dissipation
Leiyan Chen1, Yan Wang2, Jinrong Liu1
1School of Sciences, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, Hainan, People's Republic of China.
Genes use noise to switch phenotypes, with multiplicative noise broadening options and additive noise shifting them. Autocorrelation time influences these transitions, impacting energy use and survival strategies in fluctuating environments.
Area of Science:
- * Biophysics
- * Systems Biology
- * Molecular Biology
Background:
- * Gene expression is influenced by various noise sources, impacting survival strategies.
- * The precise effects of noise characteristics on gene phenotype switching remain unclear.
- * Understanding noise in gene regulation is crucial for adapting to environmental changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To analyze the influence of noise strength (NS) and autocorrelation time (AT) on gene phenotypic diversity.
- * To refine a mechanistic model incorporating multiplicative and additive colored noise.
- * To investigate the relationship between noise, phenotype switching, and energy costs.
Main Methods:
- * Refinement of a mechanistic model for gene expression.
- * Analysis of multiplicative and additive colored noise effects.
- * Investigation of noise strength (NS) and autocorrelation time (AT) on phenotypic diversity.
- * Calculation of mean first passage time (MFPT) and energy dissipation.
Main Results:
- * Multiplicative noise broadens the bimodal region of gene products; additive noise shifts it to higher levels.
- * Autocorrelation time (AT) promotes these phenotypic transitions.
- * AT affects MFPT differently for multiplicative and additive noise, influencing transition stability.
- * Energy dissipation is linked to noise strength and phenotypic bimodality, with complex relationships at high NS.
Conclusions:
- * Noise characteristics (NS and AT) are key regulators of gene phenotypic diversity and switching.
- * Gene expression noise dynamics can violate detailed equilibrium, leading to energy consumption.
- * Organisms may leverage noise properties for adaptive survival in dynamic environments.
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