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Center for Nonlinear Studies |
Oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes promote and inhibit, respectively, the progression of carcinogenesis. Networks of interactions among these genes in the G1 cell cycle checkpoint (called the Restriction Point), in the regulation of cell death (apoptosis), and in survival signaling pathways will be illustrated. Modularization and qualitative stability analysis of these networks allowed us to reduce their complexity and to identify key control motifs. In the G1 checkpoint, the positive feedback loops in the interactions among Cdc25A, p27Kip1, and CDK2 generate an instability that can explain the switching behavior associated with the Restriction Point. Recent work on the cross-talk between p53 and Akt, which led to a proposed cell survival-death switch, will also be presented.
Host: Yi Jiang T-07