D'Arcy W. Thompson's On Growth and Form: A landmark for the mathematical foundations of epigenetics

Iurato, Giuseppe; Igamberdiev, Abir U.

doi:10.1016/j.biosystems.2020.104279

Cited by 8 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 29 publications

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“…As the furrow (a marker for coordinated cell division) moves across the imaginal disc at a certain rate, coordinated differentiation occurs with a time delay behind the furrow, yielding the structure of ommatidia that form the compound eye. This also yields a tissue with locally contracted and expanded regions, much like a transformational mesh that characterizes local morphological differences due to growth and diversity of shape (Thompson, 1917;Abzhanov, 2017;Iurato and Igamberdiev, 2020). ).…”

Section: Differentiation Waves As Theoretical Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Molecular Basis of Differentiation Wave Activity in Embryogenesis

Alicea,

Bastani,

Gordon

et al. 2024

Preprint

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As development varies greatly across the tree of life, it may seem difficult to suggest a model that proposes a single mechanism for understanding collective cell behaviors and the coordination of tissue formation. Here we propose a mechanism called differentiation waves, which unify many disparate results involving developmental systems from across the tree of life. We demonstrate how a relatively simple model of differentiation proceeds not from function-related molecular mechanisms, but from so-called differentiation waves. A phenotypic model of differentiation waves is introduced, and its relation to molecular mechanisms is proposed. These waves contribute to a differentiation tree, which is an alternate way of viewing cell lineage and local action of the molecular factors. We construct a model of differentiation wave-related molecular mechanisms (genome, epigenome, and proteome) based onC. elegansbioinformatic data. To validate this approach across different modes of development, we evaluate protein expression across different types of development by comparing the nematodeCaenorhabditis eleganswith several model organisms: fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and mouse (Mus musculus). Inspired by gene regulatory networks, two Models of Interactive Contributions (fully-connected MICs and ordered MICs) are used to suggest potential genomic contributions to differentiation wave-related proteins. This, in turn, provides a framework for understanding differentiation and development.

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Section: Differentiation Waves As Theoretical Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Molecular Basis of Differentiation Wave Activity in Embryogenesis

Alicea,

Bastani,

Gordon

et al. 2024

Preprint

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D’Arcy Thompson’s Morphological Transformations: Issues of Causality and Dimensionality

Arthur

2023

Biol Theory

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D’Arcy Thompson’s drawings showing coordinated differences between the shape of an individual of one species and the shape of an individual of another have been reproduced and discussed countless times. However, while they have been widely regarded as inspirational, their interpretation in causal terms has proved difficult, and there is as yet no consensus on this matter. Here, I approach these Thompsonian transformations from a particular angle, namely their dimensional insufficiency. I argue that this problem must be solved before the issue of causality can be considered. This approach leads to the conclusion that Thompsonian transformations—or “morphological transformations”—have not taken place in evolution, and logically can never do so, because they involve the direct conversion of the adult form of one species into that of another. In contrast, “developmental transformations” do occur in the short term, within the lifetime of a single individual. And “evolutionary transformations” occur in the long term, in a context that can be described, following Scott Gilbert, as five-dimensional. I argue that these two kinds of transformation—developmental and evolutionary—have different causal agencies. I consider the possible nature of these agencies and, related to that, the way in which Thompson’s work connects with Darwinian evolutionary theory.

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Editorial: The foundations of mathematics and theoretical biology

Fimmel

Rodin

2021

Biosystems

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D'Arcy W. Thompson's On Growth and Form: A landmark for the mathematical foundations of epigenetics

Cited by 8 publications

References 29 publications

The Molecular Basis of Differentiation Wave Activity in Embryogenesis

The Molecular Basis of Differentiation Wave Activity in Embryogenesis

D’Arcy Thompson’s Morphological Transformations: Issues of Causality and Dimensionality

Editorial: The foundations of mathematics and theoretical biology

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