[SS04] Dynamics and Structures of Biological Networks I: Chemical Reaction Networks

[SS04-01] Robustness and Plasticity Emerging from Network Topology in Chemical Reaction Systems

*TAKASHI OKADA¹ (1. Kyoto University (Japan))

Keywords:

Chemical Reaction Networks,Bifurcation Phenomena,Sensitivity Analysis

In living cells, biochemical reactions form intricate networks, such as metabolic pathways, giving rise to critical cellular functions. However, the complexity of these network structures and our limited knowledge of detailed kinetics make it challenging to understand how these functions emerge from the network dynamics. In this presentation, we introduce structural methods that allow us to determine system responses based solely on network structure information. Using these methods, we proved that the impact of parameter perturbations on the steady state is confined to subnetworks satisfying certain topological conditions. Moreover, we show that these subnetworks govern the steady-state bifurcations of a reaction system. Additionally, we explore the roles of network structures from a control perspective. Our findings underscore that network topology can serve as the origin of biological robustness and plasticity, two essential attributes of living systems.