Where does cells minimize expression noise?
Yeast minimizes protein-expression noise preferentially for essential genes and protein-complex subunits, supporting that noise is generally harmful.
Source
Noise minimization in eukaryotic gene expression
What they did
Analyzed genome-wide expression strategies in yeast to test whether genes for which noise would be most harmful show reduced stochastic expression.
What they found
Noise is minimized for essential genes and complex subunits via transcriptional/translational control, at a cost; noise appears generally deleterious.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Hidden variables could bias genome-wide patterns; protein degradation’s role needs genome-wide half-life data.
Key terms
- Expression noise
- Stochastic cell-to-cell variation in gene product levels.
- Essential gene
- Gene required for viability under standard conditions.
- Protein complex subunit
- Protein that must assemble with partners in stoichiometry.
- Transcription vs translation control
- Tuning mRNA vs protein synthesis rates to shape noise.
- Stochasticity
- Random fluctuation in molecular processes.
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Common questions
Which genes are noise-minimized?
Essential genes and complex subunits.
Is noise seen as useful here?
Generally deleterious to yeast.
At what levels is noise controlled?
Transcriptional and translational.
Caveat?
Hidden variables / missing degradation data.
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