Computer Modeling of Morphogenesis

SYNOPSIS. Computer simulation is a valuable tool to help solve some problems of morphogenesis.An embryo is shaped by the behavior of its cells, but in an embryo it is often impossible to sort out which cell behaviors are active in morphogenesis because attempts to isolate one cell behavior may affect others. Computer simulation of a model of morphogenesis provides independent evidence that putative driving forces can produce a change of form. The development of a computer simulated model requires that assumptions and steps in reasoning be stated explicitly. This process brings added rigor to analysis of the biological system, improved observations of the embryo itself, and suggestions for new experiments. An interplay develops between the two systems, the actual and the simulated, in which hypotheses and experimental results from each system can be used to modify the perceptions of the other. A successful simulation can be used to simulate experiments that may not be possible on the embryo. Specific examples of how computer modeling helped analyze the shaping of the newt neural plate are discussed, as well as the prospects of extending the models to analysis of neural tube formation.