A modified galactose network model with implications for growth

TL;DR

This paper presents a modified yeast galactose network model that includes growth effects, providing better experimental fit and insights into how gene circuits balance growth benefits and costs.

Contribution

It introduces a new model of the yeast galactose network that accounts for protein dilution and growth effects, improving understanding of metabolic regulation.

Findings

Model better reproduces experimental data

Incorporating growth effects explains network optimization

Provides a general framework for metabolic network analysis

Abstract

The yeast galactose network has provided many insights into how eukaryotic gene circuits regulate metabolic function. However, there is currently no consensus model of the network that incorporates protein dilution due to cellular growth. We address this by adapting a well-known model and having it account for growth benefit and burden due to expression of the network proteins. Modifying the model to incorporate galactose transport and basal Gal1p production allows us to better reproduce experimental observations. Incorporating the growth rate effect demonstrates how the native network can optimize growth in different galactose environments. These findings advance our quantitative understanding of this gene network, and implement a general approach for analysing the balance between growth costs and benefits in a range of metabolic control networks.