On chaotic dynamics in transcription factors and the associated effects in differential gene regulation.

TitleOn chaotic dynamics in transcription factors and the associated effects in differential gene regulation.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2019
AuthorsHeltberg ML, Krishna S, Jensen MH
JournalNat Commun
Volume10
Issue1
Pagination71
Date Published2019 Jan 08
ISSN2041-1723
KeywordsGene Expression Regulation, Ligands, Models, Genetic, NF-kappa B, nonlinear dynamics
Abstract

The control of proteins by a transcription factor with periodically varying concentration exhibits intriguing dynamical behaviour. Even though it is accepted that transcription factors vary their dynamics in response to different situations, insight into how this affects downstream genes is lacking. Here, we investigate how oscillations and chaotic dynamics in the transcription factor NF-κB can affect downstream protein production. We describe how it is possible to control the effective dynamics of the transcription factor by stimulating it with an oscillating ligand. We find that chaotic dynamics modulates gene expression and up-regulates certain families of low-affinity genes, even in the presence of extrinsic and intrinsic noise. Furthermore, this leads to an increase in the production of protein complexes and the efficiency of their assembly. Finally, we show how chaotic dynamics creates a heterogeneous population of cell states, and describe how this can be beneficial in multi-toxic environments.

DOI10.1038/s41467-018-07932-1
Alternate JournalNat Commun
PubMed ID30622249
PubMed Central IDPMC6325146
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