A Regulated Double-Negative Feedback Decodes the Temporal Gradient of Input Stimulation in a Cell Signaling Network

Revealing the hidden mechanism of how cells sense and react to environmental signals has been a central question in cell biology. We focused on the rate of increase of stimulation, or temporal gradient, known to cause different responses of cells. We have investigated all possible three-node enzymatic networks and identified a network motif that robustly generates a transient or sustained response by acute or gradual stimulation, respectively. We also found that a regulated double-negative feedback within the motif is essential for the temporal gradient-sensitive switching. Our analysis highlights the essential structure and mechanism enabling cells to properly respond to dynamic environmental changes.