Synthetic self-patterning and morphogenesis in mammalian cells: a proof-of-concept step towards synthetic tissue development
- Author(s): Elise Cachat 1 ; Weijia Liu 2 ; Jamie A. Davies 2
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View affiliations
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Affiliations:
1:
UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology , University of Edinburgh , Roger Land Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FF , UK ;
2: Deanery of Biomedical Sciences , University of Edinburgh , Hugh Robson Building, George Square, Edinburgh, EH8 9XB , UK
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Affiliations:
1:
UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology , University of Edinburgh , Roger Land Building, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3FF , UK ;
- Source:
Volume 1, Issue 2,
December
2017,
p.
71 – 76
DOI: 10.1049/enb.2017.0013 , Online ISSN 2398-6182
This study reports a proof-of-concept study as a step toward synthetic-biological morphogenesis of tissues. Events in normal animal development usually follow the sequence: patterning → differential gene expression → morphogenesis. A synthetic biological approach to development might follow a similar sequence, with each stage under the control of synthetic biological modules. The authors have constructed and published a synthetic module that drives self-organised patterning of mammalian cell populations into patches of different cell types. Here, as a proof of concept, they extend the self-patterning module with a morphogenetic effector that drives elective cell death in just one cell type. The result is a self-constructing pattern of two cell types, one of which can be selectively eliminated to leave remaining cells as a monolayer with a net-like structure. This simple device demonstrates and validates the idea of coupling synthetic biological morphogenetic effectors to synthetic biological patterning devices. It opens the path to engineering more sophisticated structures and, perhaps eventually, tissues.
Inspec keywords: biological tissues; cellular biophysics; monolayers; genetics
Other keywords: tissue development; cell death; differential gene expression; mammalian cell populations; synthetic-biological morphogenesis; normal animal development; net-like structure; self-patterning module; sophisticated structures; monolayer; synthetic biological approach
Subjects: Physics of subcellular structures
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