Figure 2

Dynamical regimes of the toggle switch model. The toggle switch model can exhibit three different dynamical regimes depending on parameter values. (A) In the monostable regime, the phase portrait has one attractor point only (represented by the blue dot on the quasi-potential landscape). At this attractor, both products of X and Y are present at low concentrations. (B) In the bistable regime, which gives the toggle switch its name, there are two attractor points (shown in different shades of blue) and one saddle (red) on a separatrix (black line), which separates the two basins of attraction. The attractors correspond to high x, low y (dark blue), or low x, high y (light blue). The two factors never coexist when equilibrium is reached in this regime. (C) In the tristable regime, both bistable switch attractors and the steady state at low co-existing concentrations are present (shown in different shades of blue). In addition, there are two separatrices with associated saddle points (red). These regimes convert into each other as follows (double-headed black arrows indicate reversibility of bifurcations): the monostable attractor is converted into two bistable attractors and a saddle point through a supercritical pitchfork bifurcation; the saddle in the bistable regime is converted into an attractor and two additional saddles in the tristable regime through a subcritical pitchfork bifurcation; the bistable attractors and their saddles collide and annihilate in two simultaneous saddle-node (or fold) bifurcations to turn the tristable regime into a monostable one. Graph axes as in Figure 1B, Panel 4.