A common biomechanical model for the formation of stationary cell domains and propagating waves in the developing organisms

Morphogenesis can be driven by properly parametrised mechanical feedback

A fundamental problem of morphogenesis is whether it presents itself as a succession of links that are each driven by its own specific cause-effect relationship, or whether all of the links can be embraced by a common law that is possible to formulate in physical terms. We suggest that a common biophysical background for most, if not all, morphogenetic processes is based upon feedback between mechanical stresses (MS) that are imposed to a given part of a developing embryo by its other parts and MS that are actively generated within that part. The latter are directed toward hyper-restoration (restoration with an overshoot) of the initial MS values. We show that under mechanical constraints imposed by other parts, these tendencies drive forth development. To provide specificity for morphogenetic reactions, this feedback should be modulated by long-term parameters and/or initial conditions that are set up by genetic factors. The experimental and model data related to this concept are reviewed.

Morphogenesis as a macroscopic self-organizing process

We start from reviewing different epistemological constructions used for explaining morphogenesis. Among them, we explore the explanatory power of a law-centered approach which includes top-down causation and the basic concepts of a self-organization theory. Within such a framework, we discuss the morphomechanical models based upon the presumption of feedbacks between mechanical stresses imposed onto a given embryo part from outside and those generated within the latter as a kind of active response. A number of elementary morphogenetic events demonstrating that these feedbacks are directed towards hyper-restoration (restoration with an overshoot) of the initial state of mechanical stresses are described. Moreover, we show that these reactions are bound together into the larger scale feedbacks. That permits to suggest a reconstruction of morphogenetic successions in early Metazoan development concentrated around two main archetypes distinguished by the blastopores geometry. The perspectives of applying the same approach to cell differentiation are outlined. By discussing the problem of positional information we suggest that the developmental pathway of a given embryo part depends upon its preceded deformations and the corresponding mechanical stresses rather than upon its static position at any moment of development.

Information about a form (on the dynamic laws of morphogenesis)

How a developing embryo becomes "informed" about its form?" This problem remains obscure and controversial. We argue that the "information about a form" is distributed throughout three main components: the dynamic laws, the parameters and the initial/boundary conditions. In the absence of a dynamic law two other components are "blind", that is, do not contain any unambiguous information. We present a version of a dynamic law of morphogenesis, based upon the presumption of a feedback between passive and active mechanical stresses. We explore several models of shape formation based upon this law and show that, as depending upon the parameters values, they generate a large set of realistic shapes. Genetic and epigenetic basis of the models parameters is discussed.