Cybernetic modeling of biological processes in mammalian systems

Regulation of metabolism in mammalian cells is achieved through a complex interplay between cellular signaling, metabolic reactions, and transcriptional changes. The modeling of metabolic fluxes in a cell requires the knowledge of all these mechanisms, some of which may be unknown. A cybernetic approach provides a framework to model these complex interactions through implicit accounting of such regulatory mechanisms, assuming a biological 'goal'. The premise underlying the cybernetic framework is that the regulatory processes affecting metabolism can be mathematically formulated as a cybernetic objective through variables that constrain the metabolic reaction network to achieve a specified biological 'goal'. Here, we highlight the utility of the cybernetic framework in modeling of prostaglandin metabolism in murine macrophage cells during inflammation. We presenta perspective for future use of the cybernetic framework for modeling complex cellular processes using multiple objectives, which can represent distinct subprocesses within the metabolic reaction network.