Boolean modeling of biochemical networks

Abstract

The use of modeling to observe and analyze the mechanisms of complex biochemical network function is be- coming an important methodological tool in the systems biology era. Number of different approaches to model these net- works have been utilized-- they range from analysis of static connection graphs to dynamical models based on kinetic in- teraction data. Dynamical models have a distinct appeal in that they make it possible to observe these networks in action, but they also pose a distinct challenge in that they require detailed information describing how the individual components of these networks interact in living cells. Because this level of detail is generally not known, dynamic modeling requires simplifying assumptions in order to make it practical. In this review Boolean modeling will be discussed, a modeling method that depends on the simplifying assumption that all elements of a network exist only in one of two states.