HOME    »    PROGRAMS/ACTIVITIES    »    Annual Thematic Program
IMA Annual Program Year Tutorial Network Dynamics and Cell
Physiology April 17-18, 2008  Daniel Forger Mathematics,
University of Michigan John J. Tyson Biology, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute & State University  Complex networks of
interacting proteins control the physiological properties of a
cell (metabolism, reproduction, motility, signaling, etc.).
Intuitive reasoning about these networks is often sufficient to
guide the next experiment, and a cartoon drawing of a network
can be useful in codifying the results of hundreds of
observations. But what tools are available for understanding the
rich dynamical repertoire of such control systems? Why does a
control system behave the way it does? What other behaviors are
possible? How do these behaviors depend on the genetic and
biochemical parameters of the system (gene dosage, enzymatic
rate constants, equilibrium binding constants, etc)? Using basic
principles of biochemical kinetics, network dia