Adaptive dynamics of regulatory networks: size matters

  • Authors:

  • Dirk Repsilber;Thomas Martinetz;Mats Björklund

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Genetics and Biometry, Research Institute for the Biology of Farm Animals, Dummerstorf, Germany;Institute for Neuro- and Bioinformatics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany;Department of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden

  • Venue:
  • EURASIP Journal on Bioinformatics and Systems Biology - Special issue on network structure and biological function: Reconstruction, modelling, and statistical approaches
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

To accomplish adaptability, all living organisms are constructed of regulatory networks on different levels which are capable to differentially respond to a variety of environmental inputs. Structure of regulatory networks determines their phenotypical plasticity, that is, the degree of detail and appropriateness of regulatory replies to environmental or developmental challenges. This regulatory network structure is encoded within the genotype. Our conceptual simulation study investigates how network structure constrains the evolution of networks and their adaptive abilities. The focus is on the structural parameter network size. We show that small regulatory networks adapt fast, but not as good as larger networks in the longer perspective. Selection leads to an optimal network size dependent on heterogeneity of the environment and time pressure of adaptation. Optimal mutation rates are higher for smaller networks. We put special emphasis on discussing our simulation results on the background of functional observations from experimental and evolutionary biology.