Glycolytic oscillations under periodic drivings

Abstract

In many living organisms displaying circadian rhythms, the intake of energy often occurs in a periodic manner. Glycolysis is a prototypical biochemical reaction that exhibits a self-sustained oscillation under continuous injection of glucose. Here we study the effect of periodic injection of glucose on the glycolytic oscillation from a dynamical systems perspective. In particular, we employ Goldbeter’s allosteric model of phosphofructokinase as a model system for glycolytic oscillations, and explore the effect of periodic substrate influx of varying frequencies and amplitudes by building the phase diagrams of Lyapunov exponents and oscillatory periods. When the frequency of driving is tuned around the harmonic and sub/super-harmonic conditions of the natural frequency, the system is entrained to a frequency-locked state, forming an entrainment band that broadens with an increasing amplitude of driving. On the other hand, if the amplitude is substantial, the system may transition, albeit infrequent, to a chaotic state which defies prediction of dynamical behaviour. Our study offers in-depth understandings into the controllability of glycolytic oscillation as well as explaining physical underpinnings that enable the synchronous oscillations among a dense population of cells.