Genetic regulation networks: circuits, regulons and attractors

We deal in this paper with the concept of genetic regulation network. The genes expression observed through the bio-array imaging allows the geneticist to obtain the intergenic interaction matrix W of the network. The interaction graph G associated to W presents in general interesting features like connected components, gardens of Eden, positive and negative circuits (or loops), and minimal components having 1 positive and 1 negative loop called regulons. Depending on parameters values like the connectivity coefficient K (W) and the mean inhibition weight 1 (W), the genetic regulation network can present several dynamical behaviours (fixed configuration, limit cycle of configurations) called attractors, when the observation time increases. We give some examples of such genetic regulation networks and analyse their dynamical properties and their biological consequences. To cite this article: J. Demongeot et al., C R. Biologies 326 (2003). (C) 2003 Published by Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.