Cell fate control in space and time

LucyHam

The University of Melbourne

"Cell fate control in space and time"

Genetically identical cells can adopt distinct, stable states, playing a crucial role in development and tissue organisation. This talk explores the mechanisms driving cell fate decisions, focusing on the interplay between gene regulatory networks and cell-to-cell communication. Using spatial stochastic models that capture fine-scale regulatory dynamics, we demonstrate how feedback loops and paracrine signalling function as switch-like controllers of cell fate, enabling transitions from transient to stable states. We derive mathematical expressions predicting the threshold signalling strength required to trigger phase transitions and establish a fundamental limit on the spatial spread of phenotypic regions. Specifically, we show that the mean region size scales proportionally to the cubic root of the signalling strength, implying that large, stable domains are prohibitively costly to maintain. This trade-off between robustness and signalling precision highlights the constraints organisms must navigate during development to maintain spatial organisation. Our findings provide key insights into the principles governing multicellular patterning and the regulation of tissue structure.
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