What is ? Switch

Gene regulation plays a central role in the development and functioning of living organisms. Developing a deeper qualitative and quantitative understanding of gene regulation is an important scientific challenge. The Lambda switch is commonly used as a paradigm of gene regulation. Verbal descriptions of the structure and functioning of the Lambda switch have appeared in biological textbooks. We apply fuzzy modeling to transform one such verbal description into a well-defined mathematical model. The resulting model is a piecewise-quadratic, second-order differential equation. It demonstrates functional fidelity with known results while being simple enough to allow a rather detailed analysis. Properties such as the number, location, and domain of attraction of equilibrium points can be studied analytically. Furthermore, the model provides a rigorous explanation for the so-called stability puzzle of the Lambda switch.