Decision Making in Cells

Abstract

Cellular signal transduction networks are structured in a highly complex manner that strongly suggests they have functions beyond simply passing information from the outside of the cell to the interior. Recent evidence from mathematical and systems approaches to the study of these networks indicates that these complex networks might actually process external signals in a nontrivial way, endowing the cell emergent-decision making ability. In this chapter, we will first analyze the concepts of information, information processing, and decision making from a quantitative perspective. We will then apply that analysis to the structures and functions of intracellular signal transduction networks and see that they have many features that are consistent with nontrivial decision-making systems.