1 research outputs found
Topology and dynamics of an artificial genetic regulatory network model
This thesis presents some of the methods of studying models of regulatory networks
using mathematical and computational formalisms. A basic review of the
biology behind gene regulation is introduced along with the formalisms used for modelling
networks of such regulatory interactions. Topological measures of large-scale
complex networks are discussed and then applied to a specific artificial regulatory network
model created through a duplication and divergence mechanism. Such networks
share topological features with natural transcriptional regulatory networks. Thus, it
may be the case that the topologies inherent in natural networks may be primarily
due to their method of creation rather than being exclusively shaped by subsequent
evolution under selection.
The evolvability of the dynamics of these networks are also examined by evolving
networks in simulation to obtain three simple types of output dynamics. The networks
obtained from this process show a wide variety of topologies and numbers of genes
indicating that it is relatively easy to evolve these classes of dynamics in this model