CyberYeast: Computational Models of Cell Cycle Regulation

John Tyson
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

The "last step" of computational molecular biology, to derive the physiological properties of a cell from underlying networks of interacting proteins, is an especially challenging problem that has received little attention so far. For example, the molecular mechanism that controls DNA synthesis and nuclear division is so complex that its behavior cannot be understood by casual, hand-waving arguments. By translating this mechanism into differential equations, we can use the computer to compare models to the observed behavior of cells. A combination of numerical simulation and bifurcation theory provides a powerful tool for understanding the molecular basis of cell division.

References:
Chen et al. (2000) Molecular Biology of the Cell 11:369-391.
Tyson et al. (2001) Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 2:908-916.


Created: 5/6/02 DAR
Edited: 5/6/02