Basic Regulatory Principles of Escherichia coli's Electron Transport Chain for Varying Oxygen Conditions.

in PloS one (2014), 9(9), 107640

For adaptation between anaerobic, micro-aerobic and aerobic conditions Escherichia coli's metabolism and in particular its electron transport chain (ETC) is highly regulated. Although it is known that the ... [more ▼]

For adaptation between anaerobic, micro-aerobic and aerobic conditions Escherichia coli's metabolism and in particular its electron transport chain (ETC) is highly regulated. Although it is known that the global transcriptional regulators FNR and ArcA are involved in oxygen response it is unclear how they interplay in the regulation of ETC enzymes under micro-aerobic chemostat conditions. Also, there are diverse results which and how quinones (oxidised/reduced, ubiquinone/other quinones) are controlling the ArcBA two-component system. In the following a mathematical model of the E. coli ETC linked to basic modules for substrate uptake, fermentation product excretion and biomass formation is introduced. The kinetic modelling focusses on regulatory principles of the ETC for varying oxygen conditions in glucose-limited continuous cultures. The model is based on the balance of electron donation (glucose) and acceptance (oxygen or other acceptors). Also, it is able to account for different chemostat conditions due to changed substrate concentrations and dilution rates. The parameter identification process is divided into an estimation and a validation step based on previously published and new experimental data. The model shows that experimentally observed, qualitatively different behaviour of the ubiquinone redox state and the ArcA activity profile in the micro-aerobic range for different experimental conditions can emerge from a single network structure. The network structure features a strong feed-forward effect from the FNR regulatory system to the ArcBA regulatory system via a common control of the dehydrogenases of the ETC. The model supports the hypothesis that ubiquinone but not ubiquinol plays a key role in determining the activity of ArcBA in a glucose-limited chemostat at micro-aerobic conditions. [less ▲]

Modeling time delay in the NFkappaB signaling pathway following low dose IL-1 stimulation.

in EURASIP Journal on Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (2011), 2011(1), 3

Stimulation of human epithelial cells with IL-1 (10 ng/ml) + UVB radiation results in sustained NFkappaB activation caused by continuous IKKbeta phosphorylation. We have recently published a strictly ... [more ▼]

Stimulation of human epithelial cells with IL-1 (10 ng/ml) + UVB radiation results in sustained NFkappaB activation caused by continuous IKKbeta phosphorylation. We have recently published a strictly reduced ordinary differential equation model elucidating the involved mechanisms. Here, we compare model extensions for low IL-1 doses (0.5 ng/ml), where delayed IKKbeta phosphorylation is observed. The extended model including a positive regulatory element, most likely auto-ubiquitination of TRAF6, reproduces the observed experimental data most convincingly. The extension is shown to be consistent with the original model and contains very sensitive processes which may serve as potential intervention targets. [less ▲]

Mathematical modeling of the central carbohydrate metabolism in Arabidopsis reveals a substantial regulatory influence of vacuolar invertase on whole plant carbon metabolism.

in Plant Physiology (2010), 153(1), 260-72

A mathematical model representing metabolite interconversions in the central carbohydrate metabolism of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) was developed to simulate the diurnal dynamics of primary carbon ... [more ▼]

A mathematical model representing metabolite interconversions in the central carbohydrate metabolism of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) was developed to simulate the diurnal dynamics of primary carbon metabolism in a photosynthetically active plant leaf. The model groups enzymatic steps of central carbohydrate metabolism into blocks of interconverting reactions that link easily measurable quantities like CO(2) exchange and quasi-steady-state levels of soluble sugars and starch. When metabolite levels that fluctuate over diurnal cycles are used as a basic condition for simulation, turnover rates for the interconverting reactions can be calculated that approximate measured metabolite dynamics and yield kinetic parameters of interconverting reactions. We used experimental data for Arabidopsis wild-type plants, accession Columbia, and a mutant defective in vacuolar invertase, AtbetaFruct4, as input data. Reducing invertase activity to mutant levels in the wild-type model led to a correct prediction of increased sucrose levels. However, additional changes were needed to correctly simulate levels of hexoses and sugar phosphates, indicating that invertase knockout causes subsequent changes in other enzymatic parameters. Reduction of invertase activity caused a decline in photosynthesis and export of reduced carbon to associated metabolic pathways and sink organs (e.g. roots), which is in agreement with the reported contribution of vacuolar invertase to sink strength. According to model parameters, there is a role for invertase in leaves, where futile cycling of sucrose appears to have a buffering effect on the pools of sucrose, hexoses, and sugar phosphates. Our data demonstrate that modeling complex metabolic pathways is a useful tool to study the significance of single enzyme activities in complex, nonintuitive networks. [less ▲]

Mechanism of PP2A-mediated IKK beta dephosphorylation: a systems biological approach.

in BMC Systems Biology (2009), 3

BACKGROUND: Biological effects of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF kappaB) can differ tremendously depending on the cellular context. For example, NF kappaB induced by interleukin-1 (IL-1) is converted from an ... [more ▼]

BACKGROUND: Biological effects of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF kappaB) can differ tremendously depending on the cellular context. For example, NF kappaB induced by interleukin-1 (IL-1) is converted from an inhibitor of death receptor induced apoptosis into a promoter of ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB)-induced apoptosis. This conversion requires prolonged NF kappaB activation and is facilitated by IL-1 + UVB-induced abrogation of the negative feedback loop for NF kappaB, involving a lack of inhibitor of kappaB (I kappaB alpha) protein reappearance. Permanent activation of the upstream kinase IKK beta results from UVB-induced inhibition of the catalytic subunit of Ser-Thr phosphatase PP2A (PP2Ac), leading to immediate phosphorylation and degradation of newly synthesized I kappaB alpha. RESULTS: To investigate the mechanism underlying the general PP2A-mediated tuning of IKK beta phosphorylation upon IL-1 stimulation, we have developed a strictly reduced mathematical model based on ordinary differential equations which includes the essential processes concerning the IL-1 receptor, IKK beta and PP2A. Combining experimental and modelling approaches we demonstrate that constitutively active, but not post-stimulation activated PP2A, tunes out IKK beta phosphorylation thus allowing for I kappaB alpha resynthesis in response to IL-1. Identifiability analysis and determination of confidence intervals reveal that the model allows reliable predictions regarding the dynamics of PP2A deactivation and IKK beta phosphorylation. Additionally, scenario analysis is used to scrutinize several hypotheses regarding the mode of UVB-induced PP2Ac inhibition. The model suggests that down regulation of PP2Ac activity, which results in prevention of I kappaB alpha reappearance, is not a direct UVB action but requires instrumentality. CONCLUSION: The model developed here can be used as a reliable building block of larger NF kappa B models and offers comprehensive simplification potential for future modeling of NF kappa B signaling. It gives more insight into the newly discovered mechanisms for IKK deactivation and allows for substantiated predictions and investigation of different hypotheses. The evidence of constitutive activity of PP2Ac at the IKK complex provides new insights into the feedback regulation of NF kappa B, which is crucial for the development of new anti-cancer strategies. [less ▲]

Modeling and Analysis of UVB Influence on IL-1 induced NF-kappaB Signaling

in Proceedings of the FOSBE, September 9-12, Stuttgart, Germany (2007)

Enhancement of UVB-induced apoptosis has recently been reported upon co-stimulation of cells with IL-1. The phenomenon has been shown to be NF-kappaB dependent and coincides with a sustained absence of ... [more ▼]

Enhancement of UVB-induced apoptosis has recently been reported upon co-stimulation of cells with IL-1. The phenomenon has been shown to be NF-kappaB dependent and coincides with a sustained absence of the inhibitor of NF-kappaB, IkappaBalpha. The exact mechanisms are the subject of present research. In order to investigate the behavior of IkappaBalpha, a mathematical model for the IL-1 receptor is developed based on ordinary differential equations. It is coupled with an existing NF-kappaB signaling module and parameterized using experimental and literature data. The model provides a more realistic input for the NF-kappaB module and is suitable for fitting the experimental data of IkappaBalpha following IL-1 stimulation. It is used to test and reject the hypothesis that the sustained absence of IkappaBalpha upon IL-1+UVB stimulation is due to an altered internalization behavior of the IL-1 receptor. [less ▲]

Sensitivity analysis of programmed cell death and implications for crosstalk phenomena during Tumor Necrosis Factor stimulation

in Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Control Applications (CCA), October 4-6, 2006, Technische Universität München, Germany (2006)