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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Cells use genetic switches to shift between alternate gene expression states, e.g. to adapt to new environments or to follow a developmental pathway. Here, we study the stability of a gene-expression switch in a two-transcriptional-state model with positive feedback, found in many genetic circuits. Unlike protein-only models, we explicitly account for mRNA noise, which has a dramatic impact on phenotypic switching time. Using methods borrowed from quantum mechanics we accurately obtain the mean switching times, and the copy-number probability distributions of mRNA and proteins. Moreover, we use this approach to study the effect of environmental (extrinsic) noise on the switch stability, and on the cell phenotypic distribution.
Host: Nikolai Sinitsyn, T-4: PHYS OF CONDENSED MATTER, nsinitsyn@lanl.gov