[MS05] Mathematical and biophysical modeling of collective cell migration, fate transition, and heterogeneity in development and diseases

[MS05-02] From Genetic Circuits to Emergent Spatiotemporal Tissue Patterns: Insights from in-silico dynamics

*Ushasi Roy¹ (1. IISER, Pune (India))

Keywords:

In-silico spatiotemporal patterning,Reaction-Diffusion systems,Intracellular Gene Regulation,Emergent tissue dynamics,Multistability and oscillatory behavior

Spatiotemporal pattern formation plays a crucial role in biological processes such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition during differentiation and cancer initiation. While reaction-diffusion systems have been extensively studied phenomenologically, their underlying biomechanical mechanisms remain less explored. I will discuss the emergence of multistable and oscillatory spatiotemporal patterns driven by intracellular gene regulation, protein dimerization, and host-circuit interactions. These patterns arise from multistable transcriptional networks—including bistable (toggle switches), tristable (toggle triads), and oscillatory (repressilator) motifs—coupled with molecular diffusion across a two-dimensional tissue, where spatial organization is shaped by varying diffusion coefficients. Additionally, I will present a model where non-cooperative positive feedback imposes a metabolic burden on the host, leading to emergent spatiotemporal bistability. Furthermore, competitive protein dimerization and autoregulatory feedback, combined with diffusion, induce higher-order multistability—quadra-, hexa-, and septastability. These findings offer insights into the design principles of synthetic bio-circuits and provide plausible mechanistic explanations for biological pattern formation.