Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2076646 | Biosystems | 2008 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
We discuss a rule proposed by the biologist Thomas according to which the possibility for a genetic network (represented by a signed directed graph called a regulatory graph) to have several stable states implies the existence of a positive circuit. This result is already known for different models, differential or discrete formalism, but always with a network of genes contained in a single cell. Thus, we can ask about the validity of this rule for a system containing several cells and with intercellular genetic interactions. In this paper, we consider the genetic interactions between several cells located on a d-dimensional lattice, i.e., each point of lattice represents a cell to which we associate the expression level of n genes contained in this cell. With this configuration, we show that the existence of a positive circuit is a necessary condition for a specific form of multistationarity, which naturally corresponds to spatial differentiation. We then illustrate this theorem through the example of the formation of sense organs in Drosophila.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Mathematics
Modelling and Simulation
Authors
Anne Crumière, Mathieu Sablik,