A system biology approach to understand functional activity of cell communication systems

Methods Cell Biol. 2008:90:399-415. doi: 10.1016/S0091-679X(08)00817-0.

Abstract

Systems Biology is the quantitative analysis of dynamic interactions among several components of a biochemical system, aiming at an understanding of the behavior of the system as a whole. From an experimental perspective, systems biology is a suitable tool to support the biologist in the process of hypotheses generation and the efficient design of experiments. In this chapter, we discuss the elements of a systems biology methodology based on the interaction between experimental biologists and theoreticians. We, furthermore, show the use of such a methodology in a case study, analyzing receptor and transcription factor modulation affecting the responsiveness of the JAK2/STAT5 pathway.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Calibration
  • Cell Communication*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Janus Kinase 2 / metabolism
  • Models, Biological
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Receptors, Erythropoietin / metabolism
  • STAT5 Transcription Factor / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Systems Biology / methods*

Substances

  • Receptors, Erythropoietin
  • STAT5 Transcription Factor
  • Janus Kinase 2