IN-VITRO DNA-BASED PREDATOR-PREY SYSTEM WITH OSCILLATORY KINETICS

A coupled system of two isothermal in vitro DNA/RNA amplification reac tions using different primers is modeled kinetically with realistic ra te parameters and shown to exhibit oscillatory behavior in a flow reac tor. One of the two isothermal amplification reactions acts as a preda tor of the other, the prey. The mechanism of the oscillatory behavior is analyzed in terms of a hierarchy of kinetic models. The work provid es an insight into the choice of parameters for experiments. The latte r are important in providing detailed insight into the complex process es of ecological interactions and their evolution. (C) 1998 Society fo r Mathematical Biology.