Activating and inhibiting connections in biological network dynamics
Author Information
Author(s): Daniel McDonald, Laura Waterbury, Rob Knight, Mark D. Betterton
Primary Institution: University of Colorado
Hypothesis
The balance between activating and inhibiting connections influences whether network dynamics reach steady state or oscillate.
Conclusion
The activating fraction may predispose a network to oscillate or reach steady state, and neutral evolution or selection of this parameter may affect the behavior of biological networks.
Supporting Evidence
- The fraction of activating connections influences whether the network dynamics reach steady state or oscillate.
- High activating fractions are correlated with steady state dynamics, while low fractions promote oscillatory behavior.
- Biological networks studied showed that the specific network topology is important for their dynamics.
Takeaway
This study shows that how many connections in a network are activating or inhibiting can change whether the network behaves steadily or starts to oscillate.
Methodology
A simple dynamical model of a network of interacting genes or proteins was used to study random networks and biological network topologies.
Limitations
The model simplifies the representation of inactive genes and uses synchronous updates, which may not reflect real biological processes.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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