Developmental Biology: Computational and Experimental Approaches, 3rd Edition

Dear Colleague,

Developmental biology investigates ontogenesis,  the step-by-step process through which single cells (e.g., animal zygotes) turn into multicellular organisms of proper shape, size and structure, providing all functions during whole life cycle. Molecular mechanisms of both signal transduction and gene regulation networks provide an elementary basis for ontogenesis within the biological organization hierarchy, where they interfere with each other in varied ways, ranging from cellular processes (e.g., differentiation and migration) through morphogenesis to whole life cycle. As for embryogenesis, among the top achievements of both experimental and computational approaches, which mutually enrich one another to reconstruct the Drosophila segment polarity gene network, it is a well-established molecular mechanism of the fruit fly initializing segmentation over 3 hours just after fertilization until creating an embryo of 14 para-segmental units. Regarding morphogenesis, one of the breakthroughs achieved through combined experimental–computational techniques focused on the gene networks of the synthesis, diffusion, and active transport of auxin in Arabidopsis, from the high-resolution 3D mapping of cell cycle stages from the root meristem to layers of completely differentiated cells. Regarding life cycle, among the greatest successes achieved through computational models using the experimental signaling network for all 959 cells, including all 302 nerve cells, of Caenorhabditis elegans is the development of a real-time in silico simulator of how nematodes find food and avoid obstacles. Regarding evolutionary limitations within developmental biology, the recent cross-kingdom comparison between animals, plants and fungi integrated the developmental hourglass concept into a modern paradigm of transcriptome ontogenetic switches. During normal development, everything develops normally, whereas developmental abnormalities, such as premature aging, neurodegeneration, tumorigenesis, induced pluripotent cells, wound healing, post-traumatic repair, regeneration, assisted reproductive technologies, and stress-induced epigenetic reprogramming, which pose challenges for the post-genome experimental–computational biology, must be overcome through predictive preventive personalized participatory (4P) medicine. 

Dr. Mikhail P. Ponomarenko
Guest Editor

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