Simulation-Based Validation of the p53 Transcriptional Activity with Hybrid Functional Petri Net

Stud Health Technol Inform. 2011:162:130-42.

Abstract

MDM2 and p19ARF are essential proteins in cancer pathways forming a complex with protein p53 to control the transcriptional activity of protein p53. It is confirmed that protein p53 loses its transcriptional activity by forming the functional dimer with protein MDM2. However, it is still unclear that protein p53 keeps its transcriptional activity when it forms the trimer with proteins MDM2 and p19ARF. We have observed mutual behaviors among genes p53, MDM2, p19ARF and their products on a computational model with hybrid functional Petri net (HFPN) which is constructed based on information described in the literature. The simulation results suggested that protein p53 should have the transcriptional activity in the forms of the trimer of proteins p53, MDM2, and p19ARF. This paper also discusses the advantages of HFPN based modeling method in terms of pathway description for simulations.

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation*
  • Humans
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53*

Substances

  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53