Tweaking biological switches through a better understanding of bistability behavior

Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2008 Oct;19(5):475-81. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2008.08.010. Epub 2008 Oct 1.

Abstract

Many biological events are binary. The switch between mutually exclusive OFF to ON state in response to a stimulus is frequently mediated by a control circuit with a positive and/or a negative feedback. Such a system typically exhibits hysteresis with its switching ON and OFF stimulus levels dependent on the current state of the system. The system can be shown to be bistable both experimentally and mathematically. Work to synthesize such switches by combining natural or engineered components has begun to illustrate the potential of such control circuits in many areas of applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Biological Clocks / physiology*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Computers, Molecular*
  • Feedback / physiology
  • Gene Expression Regulation / physiology*
  • Genetic Engineering / methods*
  • Metabolome / physiology*
  • Models, Biological*
  • Signal Transduction / physiology*