Core regulatory network motif underlies the ocellar complex patterning in Drosophila melanogaster

PHYSICA D-NONLINEAR PHENOMENA

卷:295

Article

Aguilar-Hidalgo, D.^1,2,3  Lemos, M. C.²  Cordoba, A.² 

[1] Max Planck Inst Phys Komplexer Syst, D-01187 Dresden, Germany

[2] Univ Seville, Dept Fis Mat Condensada, E-41012 Seville, Spain

[3] CSIC, UPO Junta de Andalucia, CABD, Seville 41013, Spain

关键词: Pattern formation;    Ocellar development;    Robustness;    Reaction-diffusion model;    Boolean networks;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.physd.2014.12.006

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

During organogenesis, developmental programs governed by Gene Regulatory Networks (GRN) define the functionality, size and shape of the different constituents of living organisms. Robustness, thus, is an essential characteristic that GRNs need to fulfill in order to maintain viability and reproducibility in a species. In the present work we analyze the robustness of the patterning for the ocellar complex formation in Drosophila melanogaster fly. We have systematically pruned the GRN that drives the development of this visual system to obtain the minimum pathway able to satisfy this pattern. We found that the mechanism underlying the patterning obeys to the dynamics of a 3-nodes network motif with a double negative feedback loop fed by a morphogenetic gradient that triggers the inhibition in a French flag problem fashion. A Boolean modeling of the GRN confirms robustness in the patterning mechanism showing the same result for different network complexity levels. Interestingly, the network provides a steady state solution in the interocellar part of the patterning and an oscillatory regime in the ocelli. This theoretical result predicts that the ocellar pattern may underlie oscillatory dynamics in its genetic regulation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free