Purely stochastic binary decisions in cell signaling models without underlying deterministic bistabilities.

ABSTRACT: Detection of different extracellular stimuli leading to functionally distinct outcomes is ubiquitous in cell biology, and is often mediated by differential regulation of positive and negative feedback loops that are a part of the signaling network. In some instances, these cellular responses are stimulated by small numbers of molecules, and so stochastic effects could be important. Therefore, we studied the influence of stochastic fluctuations on a simple signaling model with dueling positive and negative feedback loops. The class of models we have studied is characterized by single deterministic steady states for all parameter values, but the stochastic response is bimodal; a behavior that is distinctly different from models studied in the context of gene regulation. For example, when pos

SUBMITTER: Artyomov MN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2141890 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature