Séminaire de Mathématique-Biologie

Determinism and Variability of Developmental Pathways

par Prof. Oxana Butuzova (BIN RAS, St Pétersbourg, Russie)

Europe/Paris
Amphithéâtre Léon Motchane (IHES)

Amphithéâtre Léon Motchane

IHES

Le Bois-Marie 35, route de Chartres 91440 Bures-sur-Yvette
Description

Along with a strict determinism of early embryogenesis in most living organisms, the variability of cell fates and developmental pathways exhibits in some of them. We propose that both determinism and variability are established through cell interactions, with the important role played by cell potency, cell sensitivity and cell signaling. The sensitivity of embryonic stem cells is considered to be strong, while the sensitivity of fully differentiated cells is small. This means that high potency correlates with high sensitivity, and vice versa. Experimental data were obtained and analyzed for the early developmental stages of plant species with regular and  irregular types of embryogenesis, which explicit correspondingly determinism or variability of developmental pathways. For the irregular type the species with underdeveloped embryos in mature seeds were examined. As the result, we propose three conjectures for explanation the phenomenon of variability, leading to the invariant final embryo shape, and support each of  these cases with the example(s) of actual developmental pathways.

Organisé par

Nadya Morozova

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