{"title":"Optimality as a framework for understanding developmental robustness.","authors":"Prachiti Moghe, Edouard Hannezo, Takashi Hiiragi","doi":"10.1016/j.tcb.2025.08.009","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Embryo growth, morphogenesis, and patterning are complex processes that coordinate between cellular dynamics, fate specification, and multiscale physical forces. Understanding how robustness in embryo development is achieved despite inherent heterogeneities in gene expression, cell properties, and tissue growth is a fundamental question. Although various feedback between gene expression, signaling, and cell and tissue mechanics have been uncovered to confer robustness on developmental systems, measuring variability and robustness from a quantitative perspective often remains challenging. Furthermore, cell fate plasticity, a key mechanism that can confer robustness, is lacking in many developing tissues. This review highlights how recent technological and conceptual advances in quantitative approaches to biology help to overcome these bottlenecks, with a particular focus on how mechanochemical feedback, or alternatively, selectively tuned control parameters, ensure developmental robustness.</p>","PeriodicalId":56085,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Cell Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":18.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in Cell Biology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcb.2025.08.009","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CELL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Embryo growth, morphogenesis, and patterning are complex processes that coordinate between cellular dynamics, fate specification, and multiscale physical forces. Understanding how robustness in embryo development is achieved despite inherent heterogeneities in gene expression, cell properties, and tissue growth is a fundamental question. Although various feedback between gene expression, signaling, and cell and tissue mechanics have been uncovered to confer robustness on developmental systems, measuring variability and robustness from a quantitative perspective often remains challenging. Furthermore, cell fate plasticity, a key mechanism that can confer robustness, is lacking in many developing tissues. This review highlights how recent technological and conceptual advances in quantitative approaches to biology help to overcome these bottlenecks, with a particular focus on how mechanochemical feedback, or alternatively, selectively tuned control parameters, ensure developmental robustness.
期刊介绍:
Trends in Cell Biology stands as a prominent review journal in molecular and cell biology. Monthly review articles track the current breadth and depth of research in cell biology, reporting on emerging developments and integrating various methods, disciplines, and principles. Beyond Reviews, the journal features Opinion articles that follow trends, offer innovative ideas, and provide insights into the implications of new developments, suggesting future directions. All articles are commissioned from leading scientists and undergo rigorous peer-review to ensure balance and accuracy.