Realization of tristability in a multiplicatively coupled dual-loop genetic network.

ABSTRACT: Multistability is a crucial recurring theme in cell signaling. Multistability is attributed to the presence of positive feedback loops, but the general condition and essential mechanism for realizing multistability remain unclear. Here, we build a generic circuit model comprising two transcription factors and a microRNA, representing a kind of core architecture in gene regulatory networks. The circuit can be decomposed into two positive feedback loops (PFLs) or one PFL and one negative feedback loop (NFL), which are multiplicatively coupled. Bifurcation analyses of the model reveal that the circuit can achieve tristability through four kinds of bifurcation scenarios when parameter values are varied in a wide range. We formulate the general requirement for tristability in terms of logarithm

SUBMITTER: Huang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4932522 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature