The various feedback mechanisms used by prokaryotes such as E. coli to regulate the expression of proteins involved in the production of the amino acid tryptophan combine to form an extremely complex, but highly effective, feedback control system. In this talk, I will briefly explain the biology behind the various forms of negative feedback employed by the tryptophan operon, before summarising the work done to date on the development of mathematical models for this system. Tools based on global optimisation algorithms will be introduced for the analysis of such models, which are often of high-order, strongly nonlinear and include significant time-delays. I will show how the use of such tools can help to resolve doubts about model validity, and provide a more rigorous comparison between experimental data and model outputs. Finally, given the current interest from the biotechnology community in using genetic engineering to maximise production rates of tryptophan for commercial purposes, I will show how advanced control system analysis techniques may assist in this tricky, and safety-critical, process.
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