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Updated: May 5, 2026
09:56
Mapping the Emergent Spatial Organization of Mammalian Cells using Micropatterns and Quantitative Imaging
Published on: April 30, 2019
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Modeling the evolution of gene regulatory networks for spatial patterning in embryo development
Alexander V Spirov1, David M Holloway
1Computer Science and CEWIT, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York, USA; and The Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology & Biochemistry, St.-Petersburg, Russia.
Procedia Computer Science
|December 10, 2013
Summary
Evolutionary computations reveal how gene regulatory networks drive changes in the number of body units, explaining species
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Developmental biology
- Computational biology
Background:
- Understanding how species evolve distinct numbers of body units (e.g., digits, segments) is a key evolutionary question.
- Theories suggest intermediate forms, but fossil and genomic evidence is scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary mechanisms altering embryonic development and generating new forms.
- To model the transition between different numbers of body units in species.
Main Methods:
- Utilized evolutionary computations (EC) to simulate a gene regulatory network (GRN) model.
- Analyzed developmental trajectories under simulated evolutionary pressures.
Main Results:
- Identified epochal and non-smooth developmental trajectories during form evolution.
- Demonstrated how gene regulatory networks can facilitate transitions in the number of body units.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a computational framework for understanding macroevolutionary transitions in body plan morphology.
- Findings align with observed species stability and their capacity for evolutionary change.
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