Wurthner J U, Mukhopadhyay A K, Peimann C J
Institute for Hormone and Fertility Research, University of Hamburg, Germany.
Comput Biol Med. 2000 Jan;30(1):1-21. doi: 10.1016/s0010-4825(99)00020-7.
On the basis of cellular automata models, a software specifically tailored to model biochemical reactions involved in cellular signal transduction was implemented on a personal computer. Recent data regarding desensitization processes in mouse Leydig cells are used to simulate the underlying reactions of signal transduction. Pretreatment of real Leydig cells with different molecules results in a modification of the signal transduction cascade leading to a diminished response of the cells during subsequent stimulations. The model is capable of simulating the complex behavior of this intracellular second messenger production in a qualitative and semi-quantitative way. The results indicate that quantitative simulations on a molecular level will be possible once appropriate computer hardware is available. The simulations and results of the cellular automaton presented are easily described and comprehended, which make it a useful tool that will facilitate research in cellular signal transduction and other fields covering complex reaction networks.
基于细胞自动机模型，在个人计算机上实现了一款专门用于模拟细胞信号转导中生化反应的软件。利用近期关于小鼠睾丸间质细胞脱敏过程的数据来模拟信号转导的潜在反应。用不同分子对真实的睾丸间质细胞进行预处理会导致信号转导级联反应的改变，从而使细胞在随后的刺激过程中的反应减弱。该模型能够以定性和半定量的方式模拟这种细胞内第二信使产生的复杂行为。结果表明，一旦有合适的计算机硬件，在分子水平上进行定量模拟将成为可能。所呈现的细胞自动机的模拟过程和结果易于描述和理解，这使其成为一个有用的工具，将有助于细胞信号转导及其他涉及复杂反应网络领域的研究。
