The Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), a cytokine produced during the innate immune response to invading pathogens, is involved in numerous fundamental cellular processes. Here, to understand the temporal activation profiles of the TNF-α regulated signaling network, we developed a dynamic computational model based on the perturbation-response approach and the law of information (signaling flux) conservation. Our simulations show that the temporal average population response of the TNF-α stimulated transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1, and 3 groups of 180 downstream gene expressions follow first-order equations. Using the model, in contrast to a well-known previous study, our model suggests that the continuous... |