Effect of a perturbation

If two switch elements are given initial values close to the resting value one would have on its own, there is a transient drop in both values, until the higher one picks up and extinguishes the other (see Figure 4). The initial drop is less pronounced than for the bHLH dimerisation model (see below).

Figure 4: Time evolution of the concentrations of two switch elements ($x_1$ and $x_2$), for the model with mutual inhibition with autocatalysis, and leak. The resting concentration when one element is on and the other off is roughly 100. Initial concentrations differ by 10. Parameters are $\sigma =100$, $\alpha =0.02$, and $c=2$. The trajectory is essentially the same for all $\alpha <10$, and very similar for initial concentrations differing by only 1.