Course 10Modeling, analysis, and simulation of genetic regulatory networks: From differential equations to logical models

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses genetic regulatory networks, which mainly concern interactions between proteins and nucleic acids, controlling the transcription and translation of genes. Genetic regulatory networks play an important role in the functioning and differentiation of cells. A large part of the experimental data available notably transcriptome data, concern these networks. Notwithstanding their importance, one should bear in mind that genetic regulatory networks are integrated in the cell with other types of networks, sometimes to the point that they become difficult to separate. In addition to high-throughput experimental methods, mathematical, and computational approaches are indispensable for the analysis of genetic regulatory networks. Given the large number of components of most networks of biological interest often connected by positive and negative feedback loops, an intuitive comprehension of the dynamics of the system is difficult, if not impossible to obtain. Mathematical modeling supported by computer tools can contribute to the analysis of a regulatory network by allowing the biologist to focus on a restricted number of plausible hypotheses.