The study of evolvability in gene regulatory networks

Evolvability refers to the capacity of biological systems to generate heritable and adaptive phenotypic variation. Theoretical work has identified general principles linking gene regulatory network (GRN) architecture, including modularity and connectivity, to the generation of such variation, whereas empirical studies have uncovered its molecular basis in specific systems. Despite these advances, the two approaches have largely developed in parallel, with direct tests of theoretically derived hypotheses remaining rare. Recent advances in single-cell omics techniques, GRN inference, and experimental perturbation methods now provide opportunities for a closer link between theory and empirical research on evolvability. Here, we synthesise the main advances on this topic and outline potentially fruitful avenues for investigating how network structure and developmental dynamics shape evolvability across systems.