Emergent Properties of Networks of Biological Signaling Pathways
Science, 283:381-387 (1999). Authors:
Upinder S. Bhalla: National Centre for Biological Sciences
Ravi Iyengar: Mount Sinai
School of Medicine
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Abstract
Many distinct signaling pathways allow the cell to
receive, process and respond to information. Often, components of
different pathways interact, resulting in signaling networks. Biochemical
signaling networks were constructed using experimentally obtained
constants and analyzed by computational methods to understand their role
in complex biological processes. These networks exhibit emergent
properties such as integration of signals across multiple time scales,
generation of distinct outputs depending on input strength and duration,
and self-sustaining feedback loops. Feedback can result in bistable
behavior with discrete steady-state activities and well-defined input
thresholds for transition between states, and prolonged signal output and
signal modulation in response to transient stmuli. These properties of
signaling networks raise the possibility that information for "learned
behavior" of biological systems may be stored within intracellular
biochemical reactions that comprise signaling pathways.
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