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Updated: May 26, 2026
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Generation of Aggregates of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells that Show Symmetry Breaking, Polarization and Emergent Collective Behaviour In Vitro
Published on: November 24, 2015
Self-organizing circuitry and emergent computation in mouse embryonic stem cells
J D Halley1, K Smith-Miles, D A Winkler
1Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QR, UK. julianne.halley@gmail.com
Stem Cell Research
|December 16, 2011
Summary
Stem cell fate is computed through critical-like self-organization, a dynamic process where transcription factor expression interacts. This emergent circuitry, influenced by selection pressures, underlies cell decision-making in embryos and pluripotent stem cells.
Area of Science:
- Cellular and Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Pluripotency allows stem cells to differentiate into various cell types.
- Understanding stem cell fate computation is crucial for regenerative medicine and developmental studies.
- Existing models may not fully capture the dynamic regulatory network interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel framework for understanding stem cell fate computation.
- To explore the role of self-organization in regulating gene expression dynamics.
- To hypothesize how emergent circuitry drives cell decision-making.
Main Methods:
- Modeling transcription factor (TF) expression as branching processes.
- Introducing the concept of 'critical-like self-organization' for regulatory circuitry.
- Analyzing gene expression cascades and their interactions (synergistic/antagonistic).
Main Results:
- Critical-like self-organization provides a valid description of whole genome regulatory circuit dynamics.
- This self-organizing circuitry is initiated by non-specific amplification of TF expression.
- Emergent circuitry is shaped by selection pressures and extrinsic stimuli.
Conclusions:
- Cell fate is determined by the 'interference pattern' of complex regulatory networks, not single factors.
- The framework supports the compatibility of a fluctuating transcriptome with a pluripotent ground state.
- Investigates the in vivo existence of in vitro-captured pluripotent ground states.
