Modeling G-Protein Induced Protein Kinase C Activation Cascade: Deterministic and Stochastic Simulations

Despite the transient phenomenon of activation of G-pro-tein by primary messengers on the plasma membrane, the protein kinase C (PKC) gets activated via the amplified signaling cascade stimulated by G-protein. The second messengers activating PKC play a vital role in this cascade. Therefore it is important to mimic their behavior in the model, where the activation of the G-protein initiates the liberation of second messengers. Due to the volume of the biological system under study, the signaling pathway is simulated also with stochastic algorithm. The work will contribute to understanding and describing complex cellular phenomena by taking better into account the existing experimental knowledge on the liberation of second messengers more as burstlike quantities rather than as constant flows.