Toward Synthetic Spatial Patterns in Engineered Cell Populations with Chemotaxis

A major force shaping form and patterns in biology is based in the presence of amplification mechanisms able to generate ordered, large-scale spatial structures out of local interactions and random initial conditions. Turing patterns are one of the best known candidates for such ordering dynamics, and their existence has been proven in both chemical and physical systems. Their relevance in biology, although strongly supported by indirect evidence, is still under discussion. Extensive modeling approaches have stemmed from Turing's pioneering ideas, but further confirmation from experimental biology is required. An alternative possibility is to engineer cells so that self-organized patterns emerge from local communication. Here we propose a potential synthetic design based on the interaction between population density and a diffusing signal, including also directed motion in the form of chemotaxis. The feasibility of engineering such a system and its implications for developmental biology are also assessed.