System analysis of Phycomyces light-growth response with sum-of-sinusoids test stimuli

• Published in: Biophysical journal Vol. 50; no. 4; pp. 645 - 651
• Main Authors: Pratap, P., Palit, A., Lipson, E.D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01-10-1986; Biophysical Society
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; CHAMPIGNON; ESTIMULO; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; FUNGI; GROWTH RATE; INDICE DE CRECIMIENTO; Kinetics; LIGHT; LUMIERE; LUZ; Mathematics; Models, Biological; Mucorales - growth & development; Other techniques and industries; Phycomyces - growth & development; Phycomyces - radiation effects; Physical agents; Plant physiology and development; STIMULATION; TAUX DE CROISSANCE; Vegetative apparatus, growth and morphogenesis. Senescence; Fungi; Light effect; Mathematical model; Growth; Phycomycetes; Thallophyta
• ISSN: 0006-3495; 1542-0086
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-3495(86)83504-4

The light-growth response of Phycomyces has been studied with the sum-of-sinusoids method of nonlinear system identification (Victor, J.D., and R.M. Shapley, 1980, Biophys. J., 29:459). This transient response of the sporangiophore has been treated as a black-box system with one input (logarithm of the light intensity, I) and one output (elongation rate). The light intensity was modulated so that log I, as a function of time, was a sum of sinusoids. The log-mean intensity was 10(-4) W m-2 and the wavelength was 477 nm. The first- and second-order frequency kernels, which represent the linear and nonlinear behavior of the system, were obtained from the Fourier transform of the response at the appropriate component and combination frequencies. Although the first-order kernel accounts for most of the response, there remains a significant nonlinearity beyond the logarithmic transducer presumed to occur at the input of the sensory transduction chain. From the analysis of the frequency kernels, we have derived a dynamic nonlinear model of the light-growth response system. The model consists of a nonlinear subsystem followed by a linear subsystem. The model parameters were estimated from a combined nonlinear least-squares fit to the first- and second-order frequency kernels.