Work

Modularity and design principles in the sea urchin embryo gene regulatory network

Year: 2009

Type: review

Abstract: The gene regulatory network (GRN) established experimentally for the pre-gastrular sea urchin embryo provides causal explanations of the biological functions required for spatial specification of embryonic regulatory states. Here we focus on the structure of the GRN which controls the progressive increase in complexity of territorial regulatory states during embryogenesis; and on the types of modular subcircuits of which the GRN is composed. Each of these subcircuit topologies executes a particular operation of spatial information processing. The GRN architecture reflects the particular mode of embryogenesis represented by sea urchin development. Network structure not only specifies the linkages constituting the genomic regulatory code for development, but also indicates the various regulatory requirements of regional developmental processes.

Source: FEBS Letters

DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.11.060

Authors: Isabelle S. Peter, Eric H. Davidson

Institution: California Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Gene Regulatory Network Analysis

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Awards: G4076150764, G4136426765, G629749592, Egg to Embryo: Gene Regulatory Circuitry in Development, G9000087729