Research Paper: Investigating the Effect of Environmental Temperature on the Phenomenon of Gene Transcription: Lyapunov Exponent

Abstract

Gene expression is known as a phenomenon that shapes human life. This very complex phenomenon is formed from two stages: transcription and translation. In this study, we used the Nose-Hoover thermostat to model the effect of ambient temperature on gene expression since temperature regulates the biological clock of living systems. We have used the Lyapunov exponent approach to investigate the effect of control parameters on gene expression, including the degradation rates of messenger RNA and proteins, and to find critical points (phenomenon boundary limits), mRNA, and protein level boundary values. The rate of degradation in the process of protein synthesis has been investigated with the help of the Lyapunov exponent approach. According to this study, the optimal temperature for the production of mRNA molecules by Escherichia coli bacteria is 306 Kelvin. The study also used the chaos approach to show that the faster the mRNA molecules are degraded, the more they are transcribed, and the more chaotic the system becomes.

Keywords

• gene transcription
• lyapunov exponent
• multi-fractal spectrum
• environmental temperature