Figure 1. Delayed autoinhibition can produce genetic oscillations.

(A) The gene (light blue box) is transcribed and translated into gene products x, with a delay τ. In this example gene products form dimers that act as transcriptional repressors, inhibiting transcription of the gene (blunted arrow), and decay at a rate c. (B) and (C) Numerical solutions of Eq. (9) describing the oscillator in A. (B) Phase space: monomer concentration x(t) vs. the delayed concentration x(t — τ) settle to a limit cycle. (C) Dimer concentration oscillates as a function of time. Parameters in B, C: bP = 2, τ = 1, c =1, x₀ = 1, N =12, M = 6.