Collective signaling oscillations in embryonic patterning – revealing underlying principles

Project Information

CollectiveDynamics

Grant agreement ID: 866537

DOI

10.3030/866537

EC signature date 10 February 2020

Start date 1 September 2020

End date 31 July 2026

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

€ 2 153 310,00

EU contribution

€ 2 153 310,00

Coordinated by

EUROPEAN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY LABORATORY
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - CollectiveDynamics (Collective signaling oscillations in embryonic patterning – revealing underlying principles)

Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2025-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

What is the problem/issue being addressed?

Our research addresses the fundamental question of how biological rhythms and oscillatory signals control embryonic development. We study this question in particular in the context of the segmentation clock, which controls the periodic formation of somites, the pre-vertebrae, during development. In this context, cells establish collective synchrony and spatiotemporal wave patterns that sweep across the embryo's body axis. Understanding the origin, the basic underlying rules and the function of internal biological rhythms is of key relevance, especially when considering how developing systems integrate their dynamic environment.


Why is it important for society?

This fundamental research aims to shed new light on the role of signaling dynamics in developmental systems. As the signaling pathways we study are ubiquitously employed in development and in disease states, this research has the potential to impact future understanding of, for instance, the causes of cancer.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

We have used a combined theoretical and experimental approach to reveal the fundamental properties of an embryonic oscillator cell ensemble that underlies the periodic formation of somites, the pre-vertebrae. Crucially, we employ principles known from physics, such as entrainment, to control the rhythm and pace of embryonic oscillations. By quantifying the response to this entrainment, we have revealed previously hidden properties of this collective oscillator system.
Second, we have made significant progress in establishing a novel model system to study the segmentation clock using the Japanese rice fish Medaka. This included the establishment of a novel, highly efficient CRISPR-based method to modify the Medaka genome (Seleit et al., 2021). With this newly established model system, we are now able to move into very intriguing research directions that address how internal biological rhythms integrate external, environmental cues and rhythms

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Our approach, based on synchronization theory/entrainment, that we have established, is a very significant, and original, contribution that will have a major impact in the field and beyond. This is because it allows for alternative strategies to tackle and embrace the biological complexity, using physics-guided, coarse-grained strategies. Demonstrating the concrete potential of such an integrated theory-experimental approach is essential to enter a new era of a more holistic approach in the life sciences. The expected outcome of our research is to embed this approach in a more general, comparative framework that studies organisms in their environments.