Any descriptive language is necessarily metaphoric and interpretative. Two somewhat overlapping—but not identical—languages have been thoroughly employed in the last decade to address the issue of regulatory complexity in biological systems: the terminology of network theory and the jargon of electric circuitry. These approaches have found many formal equivalences between the layout of extant genetic circuits and the architecture of man-made counterparts. However, these languages still fail to describe accurately key features of biological objects, in particular the diversity of signal-transfer molecules and the diffusion that is inherent to any biochemical system. Furthermore, current formalisms associated with networks and circuits can hardly face the problem of multi-scale regulatory complexity—from single molecules to entire ecosystems. We argue that the language of economic theory might be instrumental not only to portray accurately many features of regulatory networks, but also to unveil aspects of the biological complexity problem that remain opaque to other types of analyses. The main perspective opened by the economic metaphor when applied to control of microbiological activities is a focus on metabolism, not gene selfishness, as the necessary background to make sense of regulatory phenomena. As an example, we analyse and reinterpret the widespread phenomenon of catabolite repression with the formal frame of the consumer’s choice theory.

任何描述性语言都必然是隐喻和解释性的。在过去十年中，两种有些重叠但不完全相同的语言被彻底用于解决生物系统中的监管复杂性问题：网络理论的术语和电路的行话。这些方法在现存遗传电路的布局和人造对应物的架构之间发现了许多形式上的等价性。然而，这些语言仍然无法准确描述生物对象的关键特征，特别是信号传递分子的多样性和任何生化系统固有的扩散。此外，当前与网络和电路相关的形式主义很难面对多尺度监管复杂性的问题——从单个分子到整个生态系统。我们认为，经济理论的语言可能不仅有助于准确描述监管网络的许多特征，而且还有助于揭示对其他类型的分析仍然不透明的生物复杂性问题的各个方面。当应用于控制微生物活动时，经济学隐喻开辟的主要观点是关注新陈代谢，而不是基因自私，这是理解调节现象的必要背景。作为一个例子，我们用消费者选择理论的形式框架来分析和重新解释广泛存在的分解代谢物抑制现象。当应用于控制微生物活动时，经济学隐喻开辟的主要观点是关注新陈代谢，而不是基因自私，这是理解调节现象的必要背景。作为一个例子，我们用消费者选择理论的形式框架来分析和重新解释广泛存在的分解代谢物抑制现象。当应用于控制微生物活动时，经济学隐喻开辟的主要观点是关注新陈代谢，而不是基因自私，这是理解调节现象的必要背景。作为一个例子，我们用消费者选择理论的形式框架来分析和重新解释广泛存在的分解代谢物抑制现象。