Genetic networks: No quiet life
Several recent experiments have measured the random fluctuations of genetic networks. This 'noise' is a direct consequence of the combination of probabilistic chemical reactions, and the low numbers of many genes, proteins and mRNAs per cell. Johan Paulsson has reinterpreted the results of the five different measurements of noise according to a new model that differentiates between intrinsic and extrinsic noise sources. It can be summed up in one simple equation that, claims Paulsson, unifies the biological and mathematical properties of these systems.

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Summing up the noise in gene networks
JOHAN PAULSSON
Nature 427, 415–418 (2004); doi:10.1038/nature02257
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