Stability and Hopf Bifurcation Analysis in a Delayed Myc/E2F/miR-17-92 Network Involving Interlinked Positive and Negative Feedback Loops

MiR-17-92 plays an important role in regulating the levels of the Myc/E2F protein. In this paper, we consider a coupling network between Myc/E2F/miR-17-92 delayed negative feedback loop and Myc/E2F positive feedback loop described by a two-dimensional delay differential equation. Based on linear stability analysis and bifurcation theory, sufficient conditions for stability of equilibria and oscillatory behaviors via Hopf bifurcation are derived when choosing time delay as well as negative feedback strength associated with oscillations as bifurcation parameters, respectively. Furthermore, direction and stability of Hopf bifurcation of time delay are studied by using the normal form method and center manifold theorem. Finally, several numerical simulations are performed to verify the results we obtained.