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Sci. STKE, 3 September 2002
Vol. 2002, Issue 148, p. re12
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.2002.148.re12]

REVIEWS

Modeling the Cell's Guidance System

Pablo A. Iglesias1 and Andre Levchenko2*

1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 105 Barton Hall, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
2The Whitaker Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 208C Clark Hall, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

Abstract: Cell locomotion can be directed by external gradients of diffusible substances leading to chemotaxis. Recently, the mechanisms of gradient sensing, the cell guidance system, came under scrutiny both in experimental analysis and computational modeling. Here, we review several recent computational models of gradient sensing in eukaryotic cells, demonstrating why some of them predict little sensitivity to changes in the gradient and response "locking," whereas others predict high gradient sensitivity at the expense of signal gain. We also propose a way to view chemotaxis regulation as a highly coupled combination of semi-independent control modules, leading to simplifying modeling of this complex cellular behavior.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: alev{at}bme.jhu.edu

Citation: P. A. Iglesias, A. Levchenko, Modeling the Cell's Guidance System. Sci. STKE 2002, re12 (2002).

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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