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Cellular Competency during Development Alters Evolutionary Dynamics in an Artificial Embryogeny Model.
Lakshwin Shreesha1, Michael Levin2
1UFR Fundamental and Biomedical Sciences, Université Paris Cité, 75006 Paris, France.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 21, 2023
Summary
Cellular competency, not just genes, drives evolution. Increased cell "intelligence" in development leads to better evolutionary search, potentially explaining genome-anatomy divergence.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary developmental biology
- Artificial embryogeny
- Computational evolution
Background:
- Biological phenotypes arise from complex interactions between genotypes and developmental processes.
- Cells possess inherent behavioral capabilities, acting as active agents rather than passive material.
- Understanding cellular competency is crucial for bridging the gap between genomes and selectable traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of varying cellular competency on evolutionary dynamics.
- To model evolutionary processes using artificial embryogeny with regulative development.
- To explore the relationship between developmental plasticity and genome evolution.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an evolutionary simulation with minimal artificial embryogeny.
- Employed virtual embryos with positional information gradients determined by 'structural genes'.
- Compared evolutionary dynamics in 'hardwired' (direct genotype-phenotype) versus 'regulative' (cell interaction) development modes.
Main Results:
- Even minimal cellular behavioral abilities significantly enhance evolutionary search performance.
- Increased cellular competency masks direct genetic fitness, shifting selection towards developmental problem-solving.
- A 'ratchet mechanism' emerges where evolution favors developmental 'software' over structural 'hardware' improvements.
Conclusions:
- Cellular competency acts as a critical layer in evolutionary processes, influencing developmental physiology.
- Evolutionary systems may become optimized for developmental intelligence, leading to a decoupling of genome and anatomy.
- This framework offers insights into intelligence scaling and strategies for bioengineering and in silico system design.
Keywords:
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