A comparison of variant theories of intact biochemical systems. I: Enzyme-enzyme interactions and biochemical systems theory (Q911513)

The goal of the paper is to offer detailed comparisons and critical tests of alternative theories of intact biochemical systems. The obtained results can be summarized as follows: (1) Both, biochemical systems theory (BST) and metabolic control theory (MCT) are based on the underlying power-law formalism; (2) All the results which can be obtained in principle with MCT can also be obtained in principle with BST, while the converse is not true; and (3) The variant of the power-law formalism implicit in MCT is less accurate than the so-called S-system variant represented within BST. The consequence is that MCT can be viewed as a special case within the larger conceptual and analytical framework of BST. The paper provides the first analysis of enzyme-enzyme interactions within the class of theories based on the power-law formalism, the first example of a complete and rigorous analysis of specific biochemical systems, and additional evidence for the accuracy of the S-system representation within BST.