Combinatorial models for evolving representations of dynamical behaviours in biological networks

This theme issue is dedicated to ‘combinatorial’ models and their capacity to represent biological regulatory networks. As opposed to standard models using differential equations, ‘combinatorial’ models constitute a class of systems whose main property is that their global dynamics can be efficiently computed and their characterization rigorously proved, even in high-dimensional systems. Combinatorial models include Boolean networks and other discrete formalisms, piecewise affine or threshold networks and switching system models, as well as ‘coloured’ networks. This issue includes several recent examples of these formalisms and their contribution to analysis of biological networks.