Simulating Tissue Morphogenesis and Signaling

TL;DR

This chapter reviews various computational models for simulating tissue morphogenesis and signaling during embryonic development, ranging from continuum to cell-based and agent-based approaches.

Contribution

It introduces different modeling frameworks for tissue growth and signaling, highlighting their applications and levels of resolution in developmental simulations.

Findings

Prescribed growth models use predefined functions for tissue expansion.

Fluid models incorporate cell behaviors via Navier-Stokes equations.

Cell-based and agent-based models capture boundary dynamics and cell movements.

Abstract

During embryonic development tissue morphogenesis and signaling are tightly coupled. It is therefore important to simulate both tissue morphogenesis and signaling simultaneously in in silico models of developmental processes. The resolution of the processes depends on the questions of interest. As part of this chapter we will introduce different descriptions of tissue morphogenesis. In the most simple approximation tissue is a continuous domain and tissue expansion is described according to a pre-defined function of time (and possibly space). In a slightly more advanced version the expansion speed and direction of the tissue may depend on a signaling variable that evolves on the domain. Both versions will be referred to as 'prescribed growth'. Alternatively tissue can be regarded as incompressible fluid and can be described with Navier-Stokes equations. Local cell expansion, proliferation, and death are then incorporated by a source term. In other applications the cell boundaries may be important and cell-based models must be introduced. Finally, cells may move within the tissue, a process best described by agent-based models.