Computational Systems Biology of Morphogenesis.

ABSTRACT

Extracting mechanistic knowledge from the spatial and temporal phenotypes of morphogenesis is a current challenge due to the complexity of biological regulation and their feedback loops. Furthermore, these regulatory interactions are also linked to the biophysical forces that shape a developing tissue, creating complex interactions responsible for emergent patterns and forms. Here we show how a computational systems biology approach can aid in the understanding of morphogenesis from a mechanistic perspective. This methodology integrates the modeling of tissues and whole-embryos with dynamical systems, the reverse engineering of parameters or even whole equations with machine learning, and the generation of precise computational predictions that can be tested at the bench. To implement and perform the computational steps in the methodology, we present user-friendly tools, computer code, and guidelines. The principles of this methodology are general and can be adapted to other model organisms to extract mechanistic knowledge of their morphogenesis.