Executing multicellular differentiation: quantitative predictive modelling of C.elegans vulval development

Abstract

Motivation: Understanding the processes involved in multi-cellular pattern formation is a central problem of developmental biology, hope-fully leading to many new insights, e.g., in the treatment of various diseases. Defining suitable computational techniques for develop-ment modelling, able to perform in silico simulation experiments, is an open and challenging problem. Results: Previously, we proposed a coarse-grained, quantitative approach based on the basic Petri net formalism, to mimic the be-haviour of the biological processes during multicellular differentiation. Here we apply our modelling approach to the well-studied process of C. elegans vulval development. We show that our model correctly re-produces a large set of in vivo experiments with statistical accuracy. It also generates gene expression time series in accordance with recent biological evidence. Finally, we modelled the role of microRNA mir-61 during vulval development and predict its contribution in stabilising cell pattern formation. Contact: