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The Power of Simplicity: Sea Urchin Embryos as in Vivo Developmental Models for Studying Complex Cell-to-cell Signaling Network Interactions

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On the evolution of differentiated multicellularity.

Martin Willensdorfer¹

¹Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. ma.wi@gmx.at

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|January 22, 2009

Summary

Multicellular organisms benefit from specialized somatic cells. A new model shows the optimal fraction of reproductive cells is surprisingly high, even when somatic cells are numerous but small.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Cell biology
Theoretical biology

Background:

Multicellularity is common, with specialized somatic cells performing nonreproductive tasks.
This division of labor suggests significant evolutionary advantages.

Purpose of the Study:

To model the evolution of specialized cells in unicellular and multicellular organisms.
To determine conditions favoring somatic cells and optimal reproductive cell fractions.

Main Methods:

Developed a quantitative model incorporating organism fitness, trait contribution, organism size, and somatic cell number.
Analyzed additive cell contributions to a quantitative trait influenced by a benefit function.

Main Results:

Somatic cells are advantageous under specific conditions.
The optimal fraction of reproductive cells is consistently high.
Small somatic cells can outnumber reproductive cells but have lower total biomass.

Conclusions:

Model predictions align with observations in primitive multicellular organisms.
Provides a framework for quantitative studies on the evolution of multicellularity.