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Elements of biological oscillations in time and space

Abstract

Oscillations in time and space are ubiquitous in nature and play critical roles in dynamic cellular processes. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of the dynamics are diverse, several distinct regulatory elements have been recognized as being critical in producing and modulating oscillatory dynamics. These include negative and positive feedback, time delay, nonlinearity in regulation, and random fluctuations ('noise'). Here we discuss the specific roles of these five elements in promoting or attenuating oscillatory dynamics, by drawing on insights from quantitative analyses of natural or synthetic biological networks.

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Figure 1: Generation of temporal oscillations.
Figure 2: Generation of spatial oscillations by negative feedback or negative feedback coupled with positive feedback.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Z. Dai and C. Zhang for discussions and comments. Related research in the You laboratory is partially supported by the Office of Naval Research, National Science Foundation, Army Research Office, National Institutes of Health, and a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship (L.Y.).

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Cao, Y., Lopatkin, A. & You, L. Elements of biological oscillations in time and space. Nat Struct Mol Biol 23, 1030–1034 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.3320

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