| Abstract: | Can qualitative metabolite time course predictions be inferred from measured mRNAexpression patterns? Speaking against this possibility is the large number of ‘decoupling’control points that lie between these variables, i.e. translation, protein degradation, enzymeinhibition and enzyme activation. Speaking for it is the notion that these control pointsmight be coordinately regulated such that action exerted on the mRNA level is informativeof action exerted on the protein and metabolite levels. A simple kinetic model of sphingoidbase metabolism in yeast is postulated. When the enzyme activities in this model aremodulated proportional to mRNA expression levels measured in heat shocked yeast, themodel yields a transient rise and fall in sphingoid bases followed by a permanent rise inceramide. This finding is in qualitative agreement with experiments and is thus consistentwith the aforementioned coordinated control system hypothesis. |
