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Updated: Dec 21, 2025
11:45
Fluorescence Live-cell Imaging of the Complete Vegetative Cell Cycle of the Slow-growing Social Bacterium Myxococcus xanthus
Published on: June 20, 2018
9.9K
Dynamical patterning modules and network motifs as joint determinants of development: Lessons from an aggregative
Alejandra Guzmán-Herrera1,2, Juan A Arias Del Angel3,4,5, Natsuko Rivera-Yoshida1
1Departamento de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico.
Summary
Generic physical processes and network motifs shape organism development and evolution. This study integrates dynamical patterning modules (DPM) and network motifs (NM) to understand multicellularity emergence in Myxococcus xanthus.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Development and evolution are dynamic processes influenced by organismic and environmental factors.
- Generic physical processes and dynamical behaviors provide templates for form and regulation.
- The dynamical patterning module (DPM) framework and network motifs (NM) are key concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a joint DPM-NM perspective on the emergence and regulation of multicellularity.
- To investigate the role of generic physical processes and network motifs in multicellular development.
- To use Myxococcus xanthus as a model organism for studying the transition to multicellularity.
Main Methods:
- Applying the dynamical patterning module (DPM) framework.
- Identifying network motifs (NM) associated with biological regulation.
- Analyzing the development of the multicellular bacterium Myxococcus xanthus.
Main Results:
- A unified DPM-NM perspective offers insights into multicellularity.
- Generic physical processes and network motifs are crucial for developmental regulation.
- Myxococcus xanthus development exemplifies the interplay between regulatory networks and physical processes.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a novel framework for understanding multicellularity.
- Integrating physical and regulatory processes is essential for evolutionary transitions.
- The research offers new perspectives on the evolution of complex biological forms.
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