Title
A Dynamical Model Reveals Gene Co-Localizations In Nucleus
Abstract
Co-localization of networks of genes in the nucleus is thought to play an important role in determining gene expression patterns. Based upon experimental data, we built a dynamical model to test whether pure diffusion could account for the observed co-localization of genes within a defined subnuclear region. A simple standard Brownian motion model in two and three dimensions shows that preferential co-localization is possible for co-regulated genes without any direct interaction, and suggests the occurrence may be due to a limitation in the number of available transcription factors. Experimental data of chromatin movements demonstrates that fractional rather than standard Brownian motion is more appropriate to model gene mobilizations, and we tested our dynamical model against recent static experimental data, using a sub-diffusion process by which the genes tend to colocalize more easily. Moreover, in order to compare our model with recently obtained experimental data, we studied the association level between genes and factors, and presented data supporting the validation of this dynamic model. As further applications of our model, we applied it to test against more biological observations. We found that increasing transcription factor number, rather than factory number and nucleus size, might be the reason for decreasing gene co-localization. In the scenario of frequency-or amplitude-modulation of transcription factors, our model predicted that frequency-modulation may increase the co-localization between its targeted genes.
Year
DOI
Venue
2011
10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002094
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
Keywords
Field
DocType
brownian motion,diffusion,computer simulation,gene expression regulation,three dimensions,genes,gene regulatory networks,transcription factors,computational biology,thermodynamics,diffusion process,chromatin,transcription factor
Wiener process,Nucleus,Gene,Biology,Regulation of gene expression,Bioinformatics,Gene regulatory network,Genetics,Brownian motion,Chromatin,Transcription factor
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
7
7
1553-734X
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
1
0.69
4
Authors
7
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Jing Kang111.02
Bing Xu210.69
Ye Yao310.69
Wei Lin45215.14
Conor Hennessy510.69
Peter Fraser610.69
Jianfeng Feng764688.67