Evolution of Cellular Differentiation: From Hypotheses to Models
Abstract
Cellular differentiation is one of the hallmarks of complex multicellularity, allowing individual organisms to capitalize on among-cell functional diversity. The evolution of multicellularity is a major evolutionary transition that allowed for the increase of organismal complexity in multiple lineages, a process that relies on the functional integration of cell-types within an individual. Multiple hypotheses have been proposed to explain the origins of cellular differentiation, but we lack a general understanding of what makes one cell-type distinct from others, and how such differentiation arises. Here, we describe how the use of Boolean networks (BNs) can aid in placing empirical findings into a coherent conceptual framework, and we emphasize some of the standing problems when interpreting data and model behaviors.
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Symmetry breaking is partly responsible for the differentiation paths that allow the generation of specialized cell types.
“Symmetry breaking is partly responsible for the differentiation paths that allow the generation of specialized cell types [197], often represented as dynamical paths on a Waddington epigenetic landscape (figure 6c) [211].”
From Fundamental constraints to the logic of living systems (2024) · cites this paper as [197]
Cites
The major evolutionary transitions
Szathmáry, E., & Smith, J. M. (1995) · Nature · doi:10.1038/374227a0 · Cited by 1,095 · see citing works
Evolutionary construction by staying together and coming together
Tarnita, C. E., Taubes, C. H., & Nowak, M. A. (2013) · Journal of Theoretical Biology · doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2012.11.022 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
What Is Your Conceptual Definition of “Cell Type” in the Context of a Mature Organism?
(2017) · Cell Systems · doi:10.1016/j.cels.2017.03.006 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
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Fundamental constraints to the logic of living systems
Solé, R., Kempes, C. P., Corominas-Murtra, B., De Domenico, M., Kolchinsky, A., Lachmann, M., Libby, E., Saavedra, S., Smith, E., & Wolpert, D. (2024) · Interface Focus · doi:10.1098/rsfs.2024.0010 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“Symmetry breaking is partly responsible for the differentiation paths that allow the generation of specialized cell types [197], often represented as dynamical paths on a Waddington epigenetic landscape (figure 6 c ) [211].”
BackgroundMethod
- Authors
- Márquez-Zacarías, P., Pineau, R. M., Gomez, M., Veliz-Cuba, A., Murrugarra, D., Ratcliff, W. C., & Niklas, K. J.
- Affiliations
- Georgia Institute of Technology (US)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- University of Kentucky (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Niklas, Karl J.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2021-01
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 49-60
- ISSN
- 0169-5347 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3081224153
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 1
- FWCI
- 1.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Ohio State University
- NSF (DMS-1839810, IOS-1656549, DEB-1845363)
- Simons Foundation (516088)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › History and Philosophy of Science › Philosophy and History of Science
- Keywords
- cell differentiation, evolution of multicellularity, Boolean networks, evolutionary transitions, organismal complexity, intercellular communication, model interpretation
- MeSH terms
- Cell Differentiation, Biological Evolution
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