Information transmission capacity of biochemical signaling networks: How to robustly make binary decisions":
In this talk, I will demonstrate that the information capacity of biochemical signaling networks can be measured in live cells, thus defining the space of available decisions dictated by extracellular stimuli. Surprisingly, for many signaling pathways, the capacity is approximately 1 bit, just sufficient for a binary decision. This limited capacity is due to existence of substantial information bottlenecks at the origin of many signaling networks. These bottlenecks can potentially be overcome by a range of mechanisms, but many of these have limited effect in signaling networks examined. I will demonstrate how a binary decision (growth vs. migration) can be robustly made based on the limited information available in the context of the angiogenic blood vessel growth.