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Abstract
Gene expression is a fundamentally stochastic process, with randomness in transcription
and translation leading to cell-to-cell variations in mRNA and protein levels. This
variation appears in organisms ranging from microbes to metazoans, and its characteristics
depend both on the biophysical parameters governing gene expression and on gene network
structure. Stochastic gene expression has important consequences for cellular function,
being beneficial in some contexts and harmful in others. These situations include
the stress response, metabolism, development, the cell cycle, circadian rhythms, and
aging.