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Crucial Development: Criticality Is Important to Cell-to-Cell Communication and Information Transfer in Living
Ione Hunt von Herbing1, Lucio Tonello2,3, Maurizio Benfatto4
1Biological Sciences Department, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203-5017, USA.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|September 28, 2021
Summary
This study explores information transfer in organismal development, highlighting critical events and cell communication. It suggests information gradients, alongside biochemical ones, are vital for adaptive capabilities in complex systems.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Systems Biology
- Information Theory
Background:
- Organismal development involves complex networks, but studies often overlook information transfer (entropy) in favor of energy/biochemical exchange.
- Cell differentiation is typically explained by biochemical exchange, neglecting the role of information flow in dynamic biological systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To bridge theoretical debates on memory and criticality in development by reviewing biological concepts.
- To emphasize the importance of information transfer and critical events in cell-to-cell communication during organismal development.
- To propose the existence of information transfer gradients that, with morphogenetic gradients, influence adaptive capabilities.
Main Methods:
- Review of key biological concepts related to memory, criticality, and cell communication.
- Analysis of information (entropy) transfer in the context of organismal development and cell differentiation.
- Integration of findings with previous studies, including biophoton correlations with seed germination.
Main Results:
- Crucial events, not just biochemical exchange, are key to efficient information transfer, especially during developmental transitions like embryogenesis.
- Cell-to-cell communication in multicellular organisms creates reaction-diffusion exchanges, leading to differential gene expression.
- Evidence suggests phase transitions and changes in complexity patterns accompany development, linked to information transfer.
Conclusions:
- Criticality is crucial for the transmission, transfer, and coding of information in complex adaptive systems.
- Information transfer gradients, alongside morphogenetic gradients, play a role in creating cybernetic loops for stability and adaptive capability.
- Rethinking biological development requires considering information flow as a fundamental process alongside energy and matter exchange.
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