The Angel's staircase: Cell cycle, and the embryogenesis of vertebrates

Vincent Fleury

Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 2017, vol. 105, issue C, 230-234

Abstract: I present a simple model of vertebrate embryogenesis, coupling cell division, differentiation, and morphogenesis. The model relies on a gradient of cell cycle period, in a flat shell of tissue. When the cell cycle period varies linearly between two points, a cascade of cell division occurs in the tissue, which generates a staircase of cell sizes (the Angel's staircase). The variation in cell size is associated to a stepwise variation of mechanical properties, which induces a deterministic pattern of folds. The folded shell is recognized as an animal.

Keywords: Embryogenesis; Cell cycle; Differentiation; Vertebrate; Morphogenesis; Scaling law (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:chsofr:v:105:y:2017:i:c:p:230-234

DOI: 10.1016/j.chaos.2017.10.035

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