Abstract：
Common models of circadian rhythms are typically constructed as compartmental reactions of well-mixed biochemicals, incorporating a negative-feedback loop consisting of several intermediate reaction steps essentially required to produce oscillations. Spatial transport of each reactant is often represented as an extra compartmental reaction step. Contrary to this traditional understanding, in this Letter we demonstrate that a single activation-repression biochemical reaction pair is sufficient to generate sustained oscillations if the sites of both reactions are spatially separated and molecular transport is mediated by diffusion. Our proposed scenario represents the simplest configuration in terms of the participating chemical reactions and offers a conceptual basis for understanding biological oscillations and inspiring in vitro assays aimed at constructing minimal clocks.
摘要：
昼夜节律的常见模型通常被构建为充分混合的生化物质的隔室反应，包含一个负反馈回路，该回路由产生振荡所需的几个中间反应步骤组成。每种反应物的空间运输通常表示为额外的隔室反应步骤。与这种传统理解相反，在这封信中，我们证明，如果两个反应的位点在空间上分开并且分子运输由扩散介导，则单个激活-抑制生化反应对足以产生持续的振荡。我们提出的方案代表了参与化学反应的最简单的配置，并为理解生物振荡和激发旨在构建最小时钟的体外测定提供了概念基础。
