The Budding Yeast Cell Cycle
To understand the molecular machinery that controls cell growth and division in humans is one of the most important goals in cell biology. Although the complexity of the regulatory network increases tremendously, the basic mechanism is highly conserved from yeast to man. Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is the most well-studied model organism for cell cycle research. Its genome is completely sequenced. Hundreds of genetic experiments (deletions and over-expressions in various combinations) have been performed to discover the regulatory elements of cell cycle control and their interactions. Through such painstaking detailed analysis, cell biologists have derived a consensus picture (a wiring diagram) of the regulatory network.
We show in the budding yeast website and the companion paper that a computational model, built on the consensus picture of regulatory network derived from reductive biochemical studies and genetic manipulations, is largely successful (predicting 120 out of 133 cases) in explaining the phenotypes of currently characterized mutants of the regulatory system.
Highlights of the website include:
- Organization of a vast amount of information in a logical and comprehensive manner. The backbone of the site is a "clickable" wiring diagram, which puts together the consensus picture of cyclin-dependent kinases and their controlling reactions. By clicking on a component of the diagram, the user is presented with a description of its function and its interactions with other elements, along with handy links to the experimental literature backing all claims.
- An online simulator allows the user to change parameters and run simulations. It can be used to design and interpret new genetic and biochemical experiments.
You can find the SBML file for the budding yeast model here.