Start
Jan 12, 2017 - 17:00
End
Jan 12, 2017 - 18:00
Venue
Rm. No. 118 Ground floor Chemical Engg. Dept.
Event Type
Speaker
Prof. Rahul Kulkarni University of Massachusetts Boston
Title
Fluctuations and large deviations in stochastic models of gene expression.
Abstract: Rare events leading to phenotypic variation in a population of genetically identical cells is a recurring theme in current biological research. Recent research indicates that such `non-genetic individuality' can be driven by the intrinsic stochasticity of gene expression. Correspondingly there is a need to develop analytical approaches for modeling fluctuations and rare events in stochastic gene expression. In this talk I will discuss analytical approaches developed by my group for stochastic models of gene expression. By developing a mapping to systems analyzed in queueing theory we derive analytical results characterizing mRNA and protein distributions for general kinetic schemes of gene expression. For models with Poisson arrivals of mRNAs we develop a novel approach that leads to exact analytical results for protein distributions. We combine approaches from queueing theory and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics to characterize large deviations in activity fluctuations for general models of gene expression with promoter-based regulation.Bio: Dr. Rahul Kulkarni is an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston and was an Assitant Professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He received his Masters in Physics from IIT Kanpur and his PhD from The Ohio State University. His research interests include gene regulation and stochastic models of gene expression.
Note: Attendance is mandatory for those enrolled in CL 704/702.