More than meets the eye: Emergent properties of transcription factors networks in Arabidopsis

Publication date: Available online 30 July 2016
Source:Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms
Author(s): Durreshahwar Muhammad, Selene Schmittling, Cranos Williams, Terri A. Long
Uncovering and mathematically modeling Transcription Factors Networks (TFNs) are the first steps in engineering plants with traits that are better equipped to respond to changing environments. Although several plant TFNs are well known, the framework for systematically modeling complex characteristics such as switch-like behavior, oscillations, and homeostasis that emerge from TFNs remain elusive. This review highlights literature that provides, in part, experimental and computational techniques for characterizing TFNs. This review also outlines methodologies that have been used to mathematically model the dynamic characteristics of TFNs. We present several examples of TFNs in plants that are involved in developmental and stress response. In several cases, advanced algorithms capture or quantify emergent properties that serve as the basis for robustness and adaptability in plant responses. Increasing the use of mathematical approaches will shed new light on these regulatory properties that control plant growth and development, leading to mathematical models that predict plant behavior. "This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Plant Gene Regulatory Mechanisms and Networks, edited by Dr. Erich Grotewold and Dr. Nathan Springer".



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