Flagellar biosynthesis in silico: building quantitative models of regulatory networks.

In this issue of Cell, describe the construction of an in silico model for the regulatory network responsible for the control of flagellar biosynthesis in E. coli based on quantitative gene expression data. They show how the model can be used as a quantitative blueprint to design genetic modifications with predictable influence on the dynamics of the system. The work by provides a general approach for building detailed models of transcriptional regulatory networks.