A mathematical modelling portrait of Wnt signalling in early vertebrate embryogenesis

TL;DR

This paper develops a mathematical model of Wnt signalling in early vertebrate embryogenesis, revealing that a simplified gene regulatory network can effectively capture complex biological dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a new ODE-based model of Wnt signalling with a simplified 'super-gene' approach, enhancing understanding of gene regulation during early development.

Findings

A simplified model accurately reproduces experimental regulatory behaviors.

The model distinguishes between maternal and zygotic Wnt signalling roles.

Gene classes can be represented by single 'super-genes' without losing key dynamics.

Abstract

There are two phases of Wnt signalling in early vertebrate embryogenesis: very early, maternal Wnt signalling promotes dorsal development, and slightly later, zygotic Wnt signalling promotes ventral and lateral mesoderm induction. However, recent molecular biology analysis has revealed more complexity among the direct Wnt target genes, with at least five classes. Here in order to test the logic and the dynamics of a new Gene Regulatory Network model suggested by these discoveries we use mathematical modelling based on ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Our mathematical modelling of this Gene Regulatory Network reveals that a simplified model, with one "super-gene" for each class is sufficient to a large extent to describe the regulatory behaviour previously observed experimentally.