Global nonlinear approach for mapping parameters of neural mass models.

Neural mass models (NMMs) are important for helping us interpret observations of brain dynamics. They provide a means to understand data in terms of mechanisms such as synaptic interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neuronal populations. To interpret data using NMMs we need to quantitatively compare the output of NMMs with data, and thereby find parameter values for which the model can produce the observed dynamics. Mapping dynamics to NMM parameter values in this way has the potential to improve our understanding of the brain in health and disease. Though abstract, NMMs still comprise of many parameters that are difficult to constrain a priori. This makes it challenging to explore the dynamics of NMMs and elucidate regions of parameter space in which their dynamics best approximate data. Existing approaches to overcome this challenge use a combination of linearising models, constraining the values they can take and exploring restricted subspaces by fixing the values of many parameters a priori. As such, we have little knowledge of the extent to which different regions of parameter space of NMMs can yield dynamics that approximate data, how nonlinearities in models can affect parameter mapping or how best to quantify similarities between model output and data. These issues need to be addressed in order to fully understand the potential and limitations of NMMs, and to aid the development of new models of brain dynamics in the future. To begin to overcome these issues, we present a global nonlinear approach to recovering parameters of NMMs from data. We use global optimisation to explore all parameters of nonlinear NMMs simultaneously, in a minimally constrained way. We do this using multi-objective optimisation (multi-objective evolutionary algorithm, MOEA) so that multiple data features can be quantified. In particular, we use the weighted horizontal visibility graph (wHVG), which is a flexible framework for quantifying different aspects of time series, by converting them into networks. We study EEG alpha activity recorded during the eyes closed resting state from 20 healthy individuals and demonstrate that the MOEA performs favourably compared to single objective approaches. The addition of the wHVG objective allows us to better constrain the model output, which leads to the recovered parameter values being restricted to smaller regions of parameter space, thus improving the practical identifiability of the model. We then use the MOEA to study differences in the alpha rhythm observed in EEG recorded from 20 people with epilepsy. We find that a small number of parameters can explain this difference and that, counterintuitively, the mean excitatory synaptic gain parameter is reduced in people with epilepsy compared to control. In addition, we propose that the MOEA could be used to mine for the presence of pathological rhythms, and demonstrate the application of this to epileptiform spike-wave discharges.

A simplified modelling framework facilitates more complex representations of plant circadian clocks.

The circadian clock orchestrates biological processes so that they occur at specific times of the day, thereby facilitating adaptation to diurnal and seasonal environmental changes. In plants, mathematical modelling has been comprehensively integrated with experimental studies to gain a better mechanistic understanding of the complex genetic regulatory network comprising the clock. However, with an increasing number of circadian genes being discovered, there is a pressing need for methods facilitating the expansion of computational models to incorporate these newly-discovered components. Conventionally, plant clock models have comprised differential equation systems based on Michaelis-Menten kinetics. However, the difficulties associated with modifying interactions using this approach-and the concomitant problem of robustly identifying regulation types-has contributed to a complexity bottleneck, with quantitative fits to experimental data rapidly becoming computationally intractable for models possessing more than ≈50 parameters. Here, we address these issues by constructing the first plant clock models based on the S-System formalism originally developed by Savageau for analysing biochemical networks. We show that despite its relative simplicity, this approach yields clock models with comparable accuracy to the conventional Michaelis-Menten formalism. The S-System formulation also confers several key advantages in terms of model construction and expansion. In particular, it simplifies the inclusion of new interactions, whilst also facilitating the modification of regulation types, thereby making it well-suited to network inference. Furthermore, S-System models mitigate the issue of parameter identifiability. Finally, by applying linear systems theory to the models considered, we provide some justification for the increased use of aggregated protein equations in recent plant clock modelling, replacing the separate cytoplasmic/nuclear protein compartments that were characteristic of the earlier models. We conclude that as well as providing a simplified framework for model development, the S-System formalism also possesses significant potential as a robust modelling method for designing synthetic gene circuits.

Slow-fast control of eye movements: an instance of Zeeman's model for an action.

The rapid eye movements (saccades) used to transfer gaze between targets are examples of an action. The behaviour of saccades matches that of the slow-fast model of actions originally proposed by Zeeman. Here, we extend Zeeman's model by incorporating an accumulator that represents the increase in certainty of the presence of a target, together with an integrator that converts a velocity command to a position command. The saccadic behaviour of several foveate species, including human, rhesus monkey and mouse, is replicated by the augmented model. Predictions of the linear stability of the saccadic system close to equilibrium are made, and it is shown that these could be tested by applying state-space reconstruction techniques to neurophysiological recordings. Moreover, each model equation describes behaviour that can be matched to specific classes of neurons found throughout the oculomotor system, and the implication of the model is that build-up, burst and omnipause neurons are found throughout the oculomotor pathway because they constitute the simplest circuit that can produce the motor commands required to specify the trajectories of motor actions.

Reducing the complexity of mathematical models for the plant circadian clock by distributed delays.

A major bottleneck in the modelling of biological networks is the parameter explosion problem - the exponential increase in the number of parameters that need to be optimised to data as the size of the model increases. Here, we address this problem in the context of the plant circadian clock by applying the method of distributed delays. We show that using this approach, the system architecture can be simplified efficiently - reducing the number of parameters - whilst still preserving the core mechanistic dynamics of the gene regulatory network. Compared to models with discrete time-delays, which are governed by functional differential equations, the distributed delay models can be converted into sets of equivalent ordinary differential equations, enabling the use of standard methods for numerical integration, and for stability and bifurcation analyses. We demonstrate the efficiency of our modelling approach by applying it to three exemplar mathematical models of the Arabidopsis circadian clock of varying complexity, obtaining significant reductions in complexity in each case. Moreover, we revise one of the most up-to-date Arabidopsis models, updating the regulation of the PRR9 and PRR7 genes by LHY in accordance with recent experimental data. The revised model more accurately reproduces the LHY-induction experiments of core clock genes, compared with the original model. Our work thus shows that the method of distributed delays facilitates the optimisation and reformulation of genetic network models.

Dizzy-Beats: a Bayesian evidence analysis tool for systems biology.

MOTIVATION: Model selection and parameter inference are complex problems of long-standing interest in systems biology. Selecting between competing models arises commonly as underlying biochemical mechanisms are often not fully known, hence alternative models must be considered. Parameter inference yields important information on the extent to which the data and the model constrain parameter values. RESULTS: We report Dizzy-Beats, a graphical Java Bayesian evidence analysis tool implementing nested sampling - an algorithm yielding an estimate of the log of the Bayesian evidence Z and the moments of model parameters, thus addressing two outstanding challenges in systems modelling. A likelihood function based on the L1-norm is adopted as it is generically applicable to replicated time series data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: http://sourceforge.net/p/bayesevidence/home/Home/.

SBSI: an extensible distributed software infrastructure for parameter estimation in systems biology.

SUMMARY: Complex computational experiments in Systems Biology, such as fitting model parameters to experimental data, can be challenging to perform. Not only do they frequently require a high level of computational power, but the software needed to run the experiment needs to be usable by scientists with varying levels of computational expertise, and modellers need to be able to obtain up-to-date experimental data resources easily. We have developed a software suite, the Systems Biology Software Infrastructure (SBSI), to facilitate the parameter-fitting process. SBSI is a modular software suite composed of three major components: SBSINumerics, a high-performance library containing parallelized algorithms for performing parameter fitting; SBSIDispatcher, a middleware application to track experiments and submit jobs to back-end servers; and SBSIVisual, an extensible client application used to configure optimization experiments and view results. Furthermore, we have created a plugin infrastructure to enable project-specific modules to be easily installed. Plugin developers can take advantage of the existing user-interface and application framework to customize SBSI for their own uses, facilitated by SBSI's use of standard data formats. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: All SBSI binaries and source-code are freely available from http://sourceforge.net/projects/sbsi under an Apache 2 open-source license. The server-side SBSINumerics runs on any Unix-based operating system; both SBSIVisual and SBSIDispatcher are written in Java and are platform independent, allowing use on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. The SBSI project website at http://www.sbsi.ed.ac.uk provides documentation and tutorials.

Light and circadian regulation of clock components aids flexible responses to environmental signals.

The circadian clock measures time across a 24 h period, increasing fitness by phasing biological processes to the most appropriate time of day. The interlocking feedback loop mechanism of the clock is conserved across species; however, the number of loops varies. Mathematical and computational analyses have suggested that loop complexity affects the overall flexibility of the oscillator, including its responses to entrainment signals. We used a discriminating experimental assay, at the transition between different photoperiods, in order to test this proposal in a minimal circadian network (in Ostreococcus tauri) and a more complex network (in Arabidopsis thaliana). Transcriptional and translational reporters in O. tauri primarily tracked dawn or dusk, whereas in A. thaliana, a wider range of responses were observed, consistent with its more flexible clock. Model analysis supported the requirement for this diversity of responses among the components of the more complex network. However, these and earlier data showed that the O. tauri network retains surprising flexibility, despite its simple circuit. We found that models constructed from experimental data can show flexibility either from multiple loops and/or from multiple light inputs. Our results suggest that O. tauri has adopted the latter strategy, possibly as a consequence of genomic reduction.

BDEtools: A MATLAB Package for Boolean Delay Equation Modeling.

Boolean Delay Equations (BDEs) can simulate surprisingly complex behavior, despite their relative simplicity. In addition to steady-state dynamics, BDEs can also generate periodic and quasiperiodic oscillations, m:n frequency locking, and even chaos. Further, the enumerability of Boolean update functions and their compact parametrization means that BDEs can be leveraged to generate low-level descriptions of biological networks, from which more detailed formulations (e.g., differential equation models) can be constructed. However, although several studies have demonstrated the utility of BDE modeling in computational biology, a current barrier to the wider adoption of the BDE approach is the absence of freely available simulation software. In this work, we present BDEtools-an open-source MATLAB package for numerically solving BDE models. After giving a brief introduction to BDE modeling, we describe the package's solver algorithms, together with several utility functions that can be used to provide solver inputs and to process solver outputs. We also demonstrate the functionality of BDEtools by illustrating its application to an established model of a gene regulatory network that controls circadian rhythms. BDEtools makes it straightforward for researchers to quickly build reliable BDE models of biological networks. We hope that its ease of use and free availability will encourage more researchers to explore BDE formulations of their systems of interest. Through the continued use of BDEs by the computational biology community, we will, no doubt, discover their potential applicability to a broader class of biological networks.

ClinCirc identifies alterations of the circadian peripheral oscillator in critical care patients.

BackgroundAssessing circadian rhythmicity from infrequently sampled data is challenging; however, these types of data are often encountered when measuring circadian transcripts in hospitalized patients.MethodsWe present ClinCirc. This method combines 2 existing mathematical methods (Lomb-Scargle periodogram and cosinor) sequentially and is designed to measure circadian oscillations from infrequently sampled clinical data. The accuracy of this method was compared against 9 other methods using simulated and frequently sampled biological data. ClinCirc was then evaluated in 13 intensive care unit (ICU) patients as well as in a separate cohort of 29 kidney-transplant recipients. Finally, the consequences of circadian alterations were investigated in a retrospective cohort of 726 kidney-transplant recipients.ResultsClinCirc had comparable performance to existing methods for analyzing simulated data or clock transcript expression of healthy volunteers. It had improved accuracy compared with the cosinor method in evaluating circadian parameters in PER2:luc cell lines. In ICU patients, it was the only method investigated to suggest that loss of circadian oscillations in the peripheral oscillator was associated with inflammation, a feature widely reported in animal models. Additionally, ClinCirc was able to detect other circadian alterations, including a phase shift following kidney transplantation that was associated with the administration of glucocorticoids. This phase shift could explain why a significant complication of kidney transplantation (delayed graft dysfunction) oscillates according to the time of day kidney transplantation is performed.ConclusionClinCirc analysis of the peripheral oscillator reveals important clinical associations in hospitalized patients.FundingUK Research and Innovation (UKRI), National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), National Institute on Academic Anaesthesia (NIAA), Asthma+Lung UK, Kidneys for Life.

Components of the neural signal underlying congenital nystagmus.

Congenital nystagmus is an involuntary bilateral horizontal oscillation of the eyes that develops soon after birth. In this study, the time constants of each of the components of the neural signal underlying congenital nystagmus were obtained by time series analysis and interpreted by comparison with those of the normal oculomotor system. In the neighbourhood of the fixation position, the system generating the neural signal is approximately linear with 3 degrees of freedom. The shortest time constant was in the range of 7-9 ms and corresponds to a normal saccadic burst signal. The other stable time constant was in the range of 22-70 ms and corresponds to the slide signal. The final time constant characterises the unidentified neural mechanism underlying the unstable drift component of the oscillation cycle and ranges between 31 and 32 ms across waveforms. The characterisation of this unstable time constant poses a challenge for the modelling of both the normal and abnormal oculomotor control system. We tentatively identify the unstable component with the eye position signal supplied to the superior colliculus in the normal eye movement system and explore some of the implications of this hypothesis.

Restoring circadian gene profiles in clock networks using synthetic feedback control.

The circadian system-an organism's built-in biological clock-is responsible for orchestrating biological processes to adapt to diurnal and seasonal variations. Perturbations to the circadian system (e.g., pathogen attack, sudden environmental change) often result in pathophysiological responses (e.g., jetlag in humans, stunted growth in plants, etc.) In view of this, synthetic biologists are progressively adapting the idea of employing synthetic feedback control circuits to alleviate the effects of perturbations on circadian systems. To facilitate the design of such controllers, suitable models are required. Here, we extend our recently developed model for the plant circadian clock-termed the extended S-System model-to model circadian systems across different kingdoms of life. We then use this modeling strategy to develop a design framework, based on an antithetic integral feedback (AIF) controller, to restore a gene's circadian profile when it is subject to loss-of-function due to external perturbations. The use of the AIF controller is motivated by its recent successful experimental implementation. Our findings provide circadian biologists with a systematic and general modeling and design approach for implementing synthetic feedback control of circadian systems.

Quantitative analysis of regulatory flexibility under changing environmental conditions.

The circadian clock controls 24-h rhythms in many biological processes, allowing appropriate timing of biological rhythms relative to dawn and dusk. Known clock circuits include multiple, interlocked feedback loops. Theory suggested that multiple loops contribute the flexibility for molecular rhythms to track multiple phases of the external cycle. Clear dawn- and dusk-tracking rhythms illustrate the flexibility of timing in Ipomoea nil. Molecular clock components in Arabidopsis thaliana showed complex, photoperiod-dependent regulation, which was analysed by comparison with three contrasting models. A simple, quantitative measure, Dusk Sensitivity, was introduced to compare the behaviour of clock models with varying loop complexity. Evening-expressed clock genes showed photoperiod-dependent dusk sensitivity, as predicted by the three-loop model, whereas the one- and two-loop models tracked dawn and dusk, respectively. Output genes for starch degradation achieved dusk-tracking expression through light regulation, rather than a dusk-tracking rhythm. Model analysis predicted which biochemical processes could be manipulated to extend dusk tracking. Our results reveal how an operating principle of biological regulators applies specifically to the plant circadian clock.

Analysing nystagmus waveforms: a computational framework.

We present a new computational approach to analyse nystagmus waveforms. Our framework is designed to fully characterise the state of the nystagmus, aid clinical diagnosis and to quantify the dynamical changes in the oscillations over time. Both linear and nonlinear analyses of time series were used to determine the regularity and complexity of a specific homogenous phenotype of nystagmus. Two-dimensional binocular eye movement recordings were carried out on 5 adult subjects who exhibited a unilateral, uniplanar, vertical nystagmus secondary to a monocular late-onset severe visual loss in the oscillating eye (the Heimann-Bielschowsky Phenomenon). The non-affected eye held a central gaze in both horizontal and vertical planes (± 10 min. of arc). All affected eyes exhibited vertical oscillations, with mean amplitudes and frequencies ranging from 2.0°-4.0° to 0.25-1.5 Hz, respectively. Unstable periodic orbit analysis revealed only 1 subject exhibited a periodic oscillation. The remaining subjects were found to display quasiperiodic (n = 1) and nonperiodic (n = 3) oscillations. Phase space reconstruction allowed attractor identification and the computation of a time series complexity measure-the permutation entropy. The entropy measure was found to be able to distinguish between a periodic oscillation associated with a limit cycle attractor, a quasiperiodic oscillation associated with a torus attractor and nonperiodic oscillations associated with higher-dimensional attractors. Importantly, the permutation entropy was able to rank the oscillations, thereby providing an objective index of nystagmus complexity (range 0.15-0.21) that could not be obtained via unstable periodic orbit analysis or attractor identification alone. These results suggest that our framework provides a comprehensive methodology for characterising nystagmus, aiding differential diagnosis and also permitting investigation of the waveforms over time, thereby facilitating the quantification of future therapeutic managements. In addition, permutation entropy could provide an additional tool for future oculomotor modelling.

Isoform switching facilitates period control in the Neurospora crassa circadian clock.

A striking and defining feature of circadian clocks is the small variation in period over a physiological range of temperatures. This is referred to as temperature compensation, although recent work has suggested that the variation observed is a specific, adaptive control of period. Moreover, given that many biological rate constants have a Q(10) of around 2, it is remarkable that such clocks remain rhythmic under significant temperature changes. We introduce a new mathematical model for the Neurospora crassa circadian network incorporating experimental work showing that temperature alters the balance of translation between a short and long form of the FREQUENCY (FRQ) protein. This is used to discuss period control and functionality for the Neurospora system. The model reproduces a broad range of key experimental data on temperature dependence and rhythmicity, both in wild-type and mutant strains. We present a simple mechanism utilising the presence of the FRQ isoforms (isoform switching) by which period control could have evolved, and argue that this regulatory structure may also increase the temperature range where the clock is robustly rhythmic.

Quantification and Selection of Ictogenic Zones in Epilepsy Surgery.

Network models of brain dynamics provide valuable insight into the healthy functioning of the brain and how this breaks down in disease. A pertinent example is the use of network models to understand seizure generation (ictogenesis) in epilepsy. Recently, computational models have emerged to aid our understanding of seizures and to predict the outcome of surgical perturbations to brain networks. Such approaches provide the opportunity to quantify the effect of removing regions of tissue from brain networks and thereby search for the optimal resection strategy. Here, we use computational models to elucidate how sets of nodes contribute to the ictogenicity of networks. In small networks we fully elucidate the ictogenicity of all possible sets of nodes and demonstrate that the distribution of ictogenicity across sets depends on network topology. However, the full elucidation is a combinatorial problem that becomes intractable for large networks. Therefore, we combine computational models with a genetic algorithm to search for minimal sets of nodes that contribute significantly to ictogenesis. We demonstrate the potential applicability of these methods in practice by identifying optimal sets of nodes to resect in networks derived from 20 individuals who underwent resective surgery for epilepsy. We show that they have the potential to aid epilepsy surgery by suggesting alternative resection sites as well as facilitating the avoidance of brain regions that should not be resected.

Optimisation of an exemplar oculomotor model using multi-objective genetic algorithms executed on a GPU-CPU combination.

BACKGROUND: Parameter optimisation is a critical step in the construction of computational biology models. In eye movement research, computational models are increasingly important to understanding the mechanistic basis of normal and abnormal behaviour. In this study, we considered an existing neurobiological model of fast eye movements (saccades), capable of generating realistic simulations of: (i) normal horizontal saccades; and (ii) infantile nystagmus - pathological ocular oscillations that can be subdivided into different waveform classes. By developing appropriate fitness functions, we optimised the model to existing experimental saccade and nystagmus data, using a well-established multi-objective genetic algorithm. This algorithm required the model to be numerically integrated for very large numbers of parameter combinations. To address this computational bottleneck, we implemented a master-slave parallelisation, in which the model integrations were distributed across the compute units of a GPU, under the control of a CPU. RESULTS: While previous nystagmus fitting has been based on reproducing qualitative waveform characteristics, our optimisation protocol enabled us to perform the first direct fits of a model to experimental recordings. The fits to normal eye movements showed that although saccades of different amplitudes can be accurately simulated by individual parameter sets, a single set capable of fitting all amplitudes simultaneously cannot be determined. The fits to nystagmus oscillations systematically identified the parameter regimes in which the model can reproduce a number of canonical nystagmus waveforms to a high accuracy, whilst also identifying some waveforms that the model cannot simulate. Using a GPU to perform the model integrations yielded a speedup of around 20 compared to a high-end CPU. CONCLUSIONS: The results of both optimisation problems enabled us to quantify the predictive capacity of the model, suggesting specific modifications that could expand its repertoire of simulated behaviours. In addition, the optimal parameter distributions we obtained were consistent with previous computational studies that had proposed the saccadic braking signal to be the origin of the instability preceding the development of infantile nystagmus oscillations. Finally, the master-slave parallelisation method we developed to accelerate the optimisation process can be readily adapted to fit other highly parametrised computational biology models to experimental data.

Ultrasensitive Negative Feedback Control: A Natural Approach for the Design of Synthetic Controllers.

Many of the most important potential applications of Synthetic Biology will require the ability to design and implement high performance feedback control systems that can accurately regulate the dynamics of multiple molecular species within the cell. Here, we argue that the use of design strategies based on combining ultrasensitive response dynamics with negative feedback represents a natural approach to this problem that fully exploits the strongly nonlinear nature of cellular information processing. We propose that such feedback mechanisms can explain the adaptive responses observed in one of the most widely studied biomolecular feedback systems-the yeast osmoregulatory response network. Based on our analysis of such system, we identify strong links with a well-known branch of mathematical systems theory from the field of Control Engineering, known as Sliding Mode Control. These insights allow us to develop design guidelines that can inform the construction of feedback controllers for synthetic biological systems.

Nonlinear Dynamics in Gene Regulation Promote Robustness and Evolvability of Gene Expression Levels.

Cellular phenotypes underpinned by regulatory networks need to respond to evolutionary pressures to allow adaptation, but at the same time be robust to perturbations. This creates a conflict in which mutations affecting regulatory networks must both generate variance but also be tolerated at the phenotype level. Here, we perform mathematical analyses and simulations of regulatory networks to better understand the potential trade-off between robustness and evolvability. Examining the phenotypic effects of mutations, we find an inverse correlation between robustness and evolvability that breaks only with nonlinearity in the network dynamics, through the creation of regions presenting sudden changes in phenotype with small changes in genotype. For genotypes embedding low levels of nonlinearity, robustness and evolvability correlate negatively and almost perfectly. By contrast, genotypes embedding nonlinear dynamics allow expression levels to be robust to small perturbations, while generating high diversity (evolvability) under larger perturbations. Thus, nonlinearity breaks the robustness-evolvability trade-off in gene expression levels by allowing disparate responses to different mutations. Using analytical derivations of robustness and system sensitivity, we show that these findings extend to a large class of gene regulatory network architectures and also hold for experimentally observed parameter regimes. Further, the effect of nonlinearity on the robustness-evolvability trade-off is ensured as long as key parameters of the system display specific relations irrespective of their absolute values. We find that within this parameter regime genotypes display low and noisy expression levels. Examining the phenotypic effects of mutations, we find an inverse correlation between robustness and evolvability that breaks only with nonlinearity in the network dynamics. Our results provide a possible solution to the robustness-evolvability trade-off, suggest an explanation for the ubiquity of nonlinear dynamics in gene expression networks, and generate useful guidelines for the design of synthetic gene circuits.

Mapping epigenetic changes to the host cell genome induced by Burkholderia pseudomallei reveals pathogen-specific and pathogen-generic signatures of infection.

The potential for epigenetic changes in host cells following microbial infection has been widely suggested, but few examples have been reported. We assessed genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in human macrophage-like U937 cells following infection with Burkholderia pseudomallei, an intracellular bacterial pathogen and the causative agent of human melioidosis. Our analyses revealed significant changes in host cell DNA methylation, at multiple CpG sites in the host cell genome, following infection. Infection induced differentially methylated probes (iDMPs) showing the greatest changes in DNA methylation were found to be in the vicinity of genes involved in inflammatory responses, intracellular signalling, apoptosis and pathogen-induced signalling. A comparison of our data with reported methylome changes in cells infected with M. tuberculosis revealed commonality of differentially methylated genes, including genes involved in T cell responses (BCL11B, FOXO1, KIF13B, PAWR, SOX4, SYK), actin cytoskeleton organisation (ACTR3, CDC42BPA, DTNBP1, FERMT2, PRKCZ, RAC1), and cytokine production (FOXP1, IRF8, MR1). Overall our findings show that pathogenic-specific and pathogen-common changes in the methylome occur following infection.

Stochastic models of cellular circadian rhythms in plants help to understand the impact of noise on robustness and clock structure.

Rhythmic behavior is essential for plants; for example, daily (circadian) rhythms control photosynthesis and seasonal rhythms regulate their life cycle. The core of the circadian clock is a genetic network that coordinates the expression of specific clock genes in a circadian rhythm reflecting the 24-h day/night cycle. Circadian clocks exhibit stochastic noise due to the low copy numbers of clock genes and the consequent cell-to-cell variation: this intrinsic noise plays a major role in circadian clocks by inducing more robust oscillatory behavior. Another source of noise is the environment, which causes variation in temperature and light intensity: this extrinsic noise is part of the requirement for the structural complexity of clock networks. Advances in experimental techniques now permit single-cell measurements and the development of single-cell models. Here we present some modeling studies showing the importance of considering both types of noise in understanding how plants adapt to regular and irregular light variations. Stochastic models have proven useful for understanding the effect of regular variations. By contrast, the impact of irregular variations and the interaction of different noise sources are less well studied.