Analysis of DevR regulated genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical model of DevR regulated gene expression in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, highlighting the role of binding sites and analyzing system efficiency using information theory.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model describing the role of binding sites in DevR-mediated gene regulation and assesses the system's efficiency from an information theoretical perspective.

Findings

DevR gene expression follows a specific, efficient pattern.

Binding sites have a significant collective role in regulation.

System efficiency is near the maximum isothermal limit.

Abstract

The DevRS two component system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for its dormancy in host and becomes operative under hypoxic condition. It is experimentally known that phosphorylated DevR controls the expression of several downstream genes in a complex manner. In the present work we propose a theoretical model to show role of binding sites in DevR mediated gene expression. Individual and collective role of binding sites in regulating DevR mediated gene expression has been shown via modeling. Objective of the present work is two fold. First, to describe qualitatively the temporal dynamics of wild type genes and their known mutants. Based on these results we propose that DevR controlled gene expression follows a specific pattern which is efficient in describing other DevR mediated gene expression. Second, to analyze behavior of the system from information theoretical point of view. Using the tools of information theory we have calculated molecular efficiency of the system and have shown that it is close to the maximum limit of isothermal efficiency.