Modelling the MAPK signalling pathway using a two-stage identification algorithm

Signal transduction pathways describe the dynamics of cellular response to input signalling molecules at receptors on the cell membrane. The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) cascade is one of such pathways that are involved in many important cellular processes including cell growth and proliferation. This paper describes a black-box model of this pathway created using an advanced two-stage identification algorithm. Identification allows us to capture the unique features and dynamics of the pathway and also opens up the possibility of regulatory control design. In the approach described, an optimal model is obtained by performing model subset selection in two stages, where the terms are first determined by a forward selection method and then modified using a backward selection model refinement. The simulation results demonstrate that the model selected using the two-stage algorithm performs better than with the forward selection method alone.