Computable early Caenorhabditis elegans embryo with a phase field model
Fig 6
High-dimensional diversity and regulatory potential of developmental paths provided by cell-cell attraction matrix and extra attraction motifs.
(A). A total of 17 single attraction motifs (σ = σW = 0.2 → σ = σS = 0.9 or σ = σS = 0.9 → σ = σW = 0.2) based on the cell-cell contact map at 8-cell stage (bottom left corner) are applied on the cell-cell attraction matrix default (top left corner) independently for simulation. The evolutionary sequence of cell-cell contact map is used to classify the developmental paths, illustrated on the right. Each color represents a unique developmental path originating from top and ending in bottom, with its corresponding attraction motif(s) indicated in the legend; the black diamond denotes the cell-cell contact map at the last moment of 7-cell stage (Topology 0 in S12 Fig); the black points denote the different cell-cell contact maps at 8-cell stage (Topologies 1 ~ 26 in S12 Fig), with a size positively correlated to the number of developmental paths passing through. (B). The migration trajectory of ABpl’s mass center when the 17 attraction motifs are added. The initial 8-cell structure is illustrated semi-transparently for visual comparison. The colors representing different cell identities are the same as those used in Fig 3C. The colors representing trajectories with different attraction motifs are the same as those used in Fig 6A. (C). The three types of developmental paths differentiated when different combinations of σABpl, E and σABpl, MS are applied (σABpl, E = 0.2, 0.9 and σABpl, MS = 0.2, 0.9, 1.6), highlighted with light yellow, purple, and green backgrounds. The 3D structures at their second quasi-steady states are illustrated. (D). The match of migration rate between simulated embryos with σABpl, E = σW = 0.2, σABpl, MS = σS = 0.9 and σABpl, E = σW = 0.2, σABpl, MS = σ’S = 1.6. A total of 16 critical time points selected according to the extreme points in the curves of average velocity and its change rate are used to compare the migration rate in the two simulations (S13 Fig and S10 Table).