Reliability of frequency- and amplitude-decoding in gene regulation
  In biochemical signaling, information is often encoded in oscillatory signals. However, the advantages of such a coding strategy over an amplitude encoding scheme of constant signals remain unclear. Here we study the dynamics of a simple model gene promoter in response to oscillating and constant transcription factor signals. We find that in biologically-relevant parameter regimes an oscillating input can produce a more constant protein level than a constant input. Our results suggest that oscillating signals may be used to minimize noise in gene regulation. 
Filipe Tostevin, Wiet de Ronde, Pieter Rein ten Wolde
q-bio.SC q-bio.MN