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Toggles and oscillators: new genetic circuit designs
Author(s) -
Judd Ellen M.,
Laub Michael T.,
McAdams Harley H.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-1878(200006)22:6<507::aid-bies3>3.0.co;2-0
Subject(s) - electronic circuit , unification , computer science , network analysis , circuit design , genetic model , genetic network , biology , engineering , genetics , electrical engineering , gene , embedded system , programming language
Two recent papers report the de novo design of a functioning biological circuit using well‐characterized genetic elements.(1,2) Gardner et al. designed and constructed a genetic toggle switch while Elowitz and Leibler built an oscillating genetic circuit. Both circuits were designed with the aid of mathematical models. These papers demonstrate progress towards the unification of theory and experiment in the study of genetic circuits. Comparison of the predicted and observed behavior of the circuits, however, shows that the models explain only some of the circuits' properties. Further study of the observed behaviors not predicted by the model would lead to new insight into the properties of genetic networks. BioEssays 22:507–509, 2000. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.