Cell behaviour as a dynamic attractor in the intracellular signalling system

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-7-1999

Abstract

We present a model of the cell signalling network based on the generic properties of interactions between protein kinases (PKs) and protein phosphatases (PPs) inside cells. The model is designed to examine the global properties and intrinsic dynamics of the phosphorylation system. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to evolve populations of 'cells'. The CA selects cells and ranks them based on an analysis of the dynamics of the proteins within the networks from a series of different random starting conditions. The fittest cells are taken to be those which can generate a variety of different 'behaviours' from a series of different initial conditions. During the GA, intracellular protein interactions evolve via mutation and an analogue of domain shuffling between protein types that is thought to occur during biological evolution. The dynamics of the simulated networks are presented and we discuss the hypothesis that changes in the behaviour of a cell may be interpretable as a switch between attractor basins in the intracellular signalling network.

Identifier

0033531331 (Scopus)

Publication Title

Journal of Theoretical Biology

External Full Text Location

https://doi.org/10.1006/jtbi.1998.0827

ISSN

00225193

PubMed ID

10049621

First Page

269

Last Page

288

Issue

3

Volume

196

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