Cellular Competency during Development Alters Evolutionary Dynamics in an Artificial Embryogeny Model.

ABSTRACT: Biological genotypes do not code directly for phenotypes; developmental physiology is the control layer that separates genomes from capacities ascertained by selection. A key aspect is cellular competency, since cells are not passive materials but descendants of unicellular organisms with complex context-sensitive behavioral capabilities. To probe the effects of different degrees of cellular competency on evolutionary dynamics, we used an evolutionary simulation in the context of minimal artificial embryogeny. Virtual embryos consisted of a single axis of positional information values provided by cells' 'structural genes', operated upon by an evolutionary cycle in which embryos' fitness was proportional to monotonicity of the axial gradient. Evolutionary dynamics were evaluated in two mode

SUBMITTER: Shreesha L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9858125 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature