Analysis-based parameter estimation of an in vitro transcription-translation system

Recent advances in measurement technology provide us with rich source of data for estimating parameters in biomolecular circuit models, particularly in simplified in vitro transcription-translation systems, so-called molecular “bread-boards”. In this paper, we elaborate on a mass action type dynamic model for such an in vitro system and detail a parameter estimation procedure that may be used with time series data containing information about both transcriptional and translational stages of gene expression. The identification process is supported by structural identifiability analysis to ensure proper model structure. Statistical analysis and validation of the estimated parameter set help us to understand the characteristics of point estimation results.