Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
PLoS Comput Biol. 2024 Jun 5;20(6):e1011882. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011882. eCollection 2024 Jun.
In embryonic development and organogenesis, cells sharing identical genetic codes acquire diverse gene expression states in a highly reproducible spatial distribution, crucial for multicellular formation and quantifiable through positional information. To understand the spontaneous growth of complexity, we constructed a one-dimensional division-decision model, simulating the growth of cells with identical genetic networks from a single cell. Our findings highlight the pivotal role of cell division in providing positional cues, escorting the system toward states rich in information. Moreover, we pinpointed lateral inhibition as a critical mechanism translating spatial contacts into gene expression. Our model demonstrates that the spatial arrangement resulting from cell division, combined with cell lineages, imparts positional information, specifying multiple cell states with increased complexity-illustrated through examples in C.elegans. This study constitutes a foundational step in comprehending developmental intricacies, paving the way for future quantitative formulations to construct synthetic multicellular patterns.
在胚胎发育和器官发生过程中，具有相同遗传密码的细胞在高度可重复的空间分布中获得多样化的基因表达状态，这对于多细胞形成至关重要，并可以通过位置信息进行量化。为了理解复杂性的自发增长，我们构建了一个一维的分裂决策模型，模拟具有相同遗传网络的细胞从单个细胞开始的生长。我们的研究结果强调了细胞分裂在提供位置线索方面的关键作用，引导系统向富含信息的状态发展。此外，我们还指出，侧向抑制是将空间接触转化为基因表达的关键机制。我们的模型表明，细胞分裂产生的空间排列，结合细胞谱系，赋予了位置信息，指定了具有更高复杂性的多个细胞状态——这通过秀丽隐杆线虫的例子得到了说明。这项研究是理解发育复杂性的基础步骤，为未来构建合成多细胞模式的定量公式铺平了道路。
