Endogenous bioelectrical networks store non-genetic patterning information during development and regeneration

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Biomedicine
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Pattern formation is essential for embryogenesis and regeneration, linking genotype to organismal form.
• Bioelectrical gradients in resting potentials of non-excitable cells have long been recognized as regulators of cell behavior and morphogenesis.
• Understanding biological shape is fundamental across multiple scientific disciplines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent molecular and functional data on endogenous bioelectrical signaling in development and disease.
• To highlight the role of resting potential gradients in processes like regeneration, embryogenesis, and cancer.
• To emphasize bioelectrical signaling as an autonomous control layer not reducible to genetics or biochemistry.

Main Methods:

• Review of molecular and functional data implicating endogenous spatio-temporal patterns of resting potentials.
• Analysis of functional data in processes such as limb regeneration, eye induction, and cancer metastasis.
• Examination of the genome's link to bioelectric signaling via ion channels and downstream gene regulation.

Main Results:

• Endogenous resting potential gradients act as instructive cues in embryogenesis and regeneration.
• These bioelectrical signals are implicated in craniofacial patterning, head-tail polarity, and metastatic transformation.
• Bioelectrical signaling represents an autonomous layer of control, independent of purely biochemical or genetic explanations.
• Real-time bioelectrical dynamics are crucial and not fully captured by transcriptomic or proteomic analyses.

Conclusions:

• Bioelectrical signaling is a fundamental, autonomous layer controlling biological form and function.
• Cracking the bioelectrical code is key for advancing developmental biology and regenerative medicine.
• Future research requires novel conceptual and biophysical tools to understand and manipulate bioelectrical networks.
• This field holds transformative potential for synthetic bioengineering and understanding disease processes.