%0 Journal Article
%T Challenges in measuring and understanding biological noise
%J -
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-019-0130-6
%X Biochemical reactions are intrinsically stochastic, leading to variation in the production of mRNAs and proteins within cells. In the scientific literature, this source of variation is typically referred to as ¡®noise¡¯. The observed variability in molecular phenotypes arises from a combination of processes that amplify and attenuate noise. Our ability to quantify cell-to-cell variability in numerous biological contexts has been revolutionized by recent advances in single-cell technology, from imaging approaches through to ¡®omics¡¯ strategies. However, defining, accurately measuring and disentangling the stochastic and deterministic components of cell-to-cell variability is challenging. In this Review, we discuss the sources, impact and function of molecular phenotypic variability and highlight future directions to understand its role
%U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-019-0130-6