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Closing the loop on morphogenesis: a mathematical model of morphogenesis by closed-loop reaction-diffusion
Joel Grodstein1, Patrick McMillen2, Michael Levin2,3
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, United States.
Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
|August 30, 2023
Summary
This study presents a novel wave-based system for reliable pattern formation in morphogenesis. Cells use wave communication to analyze shape and achieve robust pattern control for developmental biology and regenerative medicine.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Computational Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Morphogenesis, the process of biological form generation, is crucial for development and repair.
- Embryonic development exhibits remarkable robustness, recovering from disturbances like twinning.
- Existing models lack detailed mechanisms for error minimization in morphogenic fields.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a constructive model for reliable pattern formation in morphogenesis.
- To investigate how cell communication can analyze body shape for error correction.
- To engineer synthetic morphology constructs with robust, controllable behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized wave-like cell communication to analyze current body shape properties.
- Implemented a closed-loop negative-feedback system for reaction-diffusion (RD) pattern generation.
- Employed a wave-based counting mechanism to control the number of pattern repetitions (N).
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a reliable method for creating RD patterns with a tunable number of repetitions (N).
- Showed that individual pattern repetitions can be scaled under genetic control.
- Established a system capable of robust pattern generation and modification.
Conclusions:
- Wave-based communication enables cells to analyze and control morphogenic patterns reliably.
- This work advances understanding of morphological computation and its design principles.
- Findings have implications for regenerative medicine and the engineering of synthetic morphologies.
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