FROM GENOTYPE TO PHENOTYPE - COMPUTER-BASED MODELING OF GENE-EXPRESSION WITH STELLA(R)-II

STELLA(R) II is a microcomputer program that is designed to simulate a nd animate the dynamics generated by biological systems in a quantitat ive fashion. The program employs the Macintosh(R) user interface and i ncludes a tool kit for assembling models, plus menus for setting param eters and selecting input or output. Quantitative relationships among components may be expressed with user-defined equations, graphical fun ctions or data from spreadsheets. System dynamics are simulated by run ning the program after defining initial conditions, and results may be viewed immediately using windows for graphical or tabular plots. The present article describes how STELLA II may be used to simulate gene e xpression as an adjunct to experimentation or student-directed learnin g.