Signal propagation in nonlinear stochastic gene regulatory networks.

The ability to build genetic circuits with a reproducible response to external stimuli depends on the experimental and theoretical methods used in the process. A theoretical formalism that describes the response of a nonlinear stochastic genetic network to the external stimuli (input signals), is proposed. Two applications are studied in detail: the design of a logic pulse and the interference of three signal generators in the E2F1 regulatory element. The gene interactions are presented using molecular diagrams that have a precise mathematical structure and retain the biological meaning of the processes.