Integral Control in Biological Systems
Tau-Mu Yi and colleagues demonstrated bacterial chemotaxis implements integral feedback control. Control theorists analyze biological regulatory circuits using engineering frameworks. Pablo Iglesias applied control theory to calcium homeostasis and other physiological systems. Systems biologists recognize integral control as widespread regulatory motif across organisms.
Bacterial Chemotaxis
Julius Adler discovered bacterial chemotaxis in the 1960s. Howard Berg characterized the run-and-tumble mechanism through microscopy. Daniel Koshland elucidated the molecular machinery—chemoreceptors, CheY, CheZ proteins. Dennis Bray modeled chemotaxis computationally. Microbiologists study chemotaxis across bacterial species revealing conserved principles.
Exact Adaptation in Sensory Systems
Naama Barkai and Stanislas Leibler demonstrated exact adaptation’s robustness to parameter variations in bacterial chemotaxis. Uri Alon identified integral feedback as universal mechanism for exact adaptation. Sensory physiologists study adaptation in olfaction, vision, and mechanosensation. Systems biologists model adaptation dynamics revealing design principles.
Receptor Methylation in Chemotaxis Adaptation
Daniel Koshland discovered receptor methylation as chemotaxis adaptation mechanism. CheR methyltransferase and CheB methylesterase perform covalent modifications. John Spudich studied archaeal chemotaxis revealing conserved methylation-based adaptation. Structural biologists determined chemoreceptor structures showing methylation sites.