Exact results for gene-expression models with general waiting-time distributions

Phys Rev E. 2024 Feb;109(2-1):024119. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.109.024119.

Abstract

Complex molecular details of transcriptional regulation can be coarse-grained by assuming that reaction waiting times for promoter-state transitions, the mRNA synthesis, and the mRNA degradation follow general distributions. However, how such a generalized two-state model is analytically solved is a long-standing issue. Here we first present analytical formulas of burst-size distributions for this model. Then, we derive an iterative equation for the mRNA moment-generating function, by which mRNA raw and binomial moments of any order can be conveniently calculated. The analytical results obtained in the special cases of phase-type waiting-time distributions not only provide insights into the mechanisms of complex transcriptional regulations but also bring conveniences for experimental data-based statistical inferences.

MeSH terms

  • Models, Genetic*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Stochastic Processes
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Waiting Lists*

Substances

  • RNA, Messenger