A characteristic property of coupled nonlinear interactions is that the resulting pattern can change dramatically after changes in the parameters. The figure below shows an example. Fig. A shows the pattern with standard parameters. A reduction of k _DE (which inhibits binding of MinE at high MinD concentration) leads to an acceleration of the oscillation, because the MinE wave can spread faster into a region of high MinD concentration.  With the parameters used, the trigger of a new MinD activation at the opposite pole occurs already before the previous activation is gone completely. This trigger reduces the availability of MinD precursors and causes the collapse of the original MinD maximum even if the MinE wave has not yet reached the pole. The MinE maximum shifts rapidly to the flank of the new MinD plateau. At a lower baseline MinD association (s _D) to the membrane (i.e. at a lower MinD-independent MinD association), the new trigger occurs only after the collapse of the original peak, requiring also a new trigger of MinE (Fig. C). In this situation, it is absolutely essential that the new trigger is forced to the flank via an inhibition of MinE binding at high MinD concentration, because otherwise only a rapid change between MinD trigger and removal by MinE would occur (Fig. D)

(A) Standard parameters; (B) Setting k _DE to zero leads to a more rapid oscillation; (C) Reducing baseline MinD association s _D from 0.05 to 0.005 leads to a new trigger only after the original peak has gone. Wave formation occurs only if k _DE is nonzero (0.1); otherwise only very rapid oscillations occur. Wave formation is re-established almost immediately after changing k _DE  from zero to 0.1 (lower half of D).