Programmable pattern formation in cellular systems with local signaling

Abstract

Pattern formation in complex systems has been studied from the angle of information processing, by trying to understand what is the input information that determines a certain final pattern and to what extent is the final pattern programmable by changing some input information. Here, the authors present a minimal model within which they can formulate and study the concept of programmable pattern formation, that is, whether an organizer cell can steer the system towards any target pattern starting from an arbitrary initial pattern.