Morphogenesis during development and regeneration requires cells to communicate and cooperate toward the construction of complex anatomical structures. One important set of mechanisms for coordinating growth and form occurs via developmental bioelectricity—the dynamics of cellular networks driving changes of resting membrane potential which interface with transcriptional and biomechanical downstream cascades. While many molecular details have been elucidated about the instructive processes mediated by ion channel-dependent signaling outside of the nervous system, future advances in regenerative medicine and bioengineering require the understanding of tissue, organ, or whole body-level properties. A key aspect of bioelectric networks is their robustness, which can drive correct, invariant patterning cues despite changing cell number and anatomical configuration of the underlying tissue network. Here, we computationally analyze the minimal models of bioelectric networks and use the example of the regenerating planarian flatworm, to reveal important system-level aspects of bioelectrically derived patterns. These analyses promote an understanding of the robustness of circuits controlling regeneration and suggest design properties that can be exploited for synthetic bioengineering.
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Stability and robustness properties of bioelectric networks: A computational approach
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September 2021
Review Article|
September 28 2021
Stability and robustness properties of bioelectric networks: A computational approach

Joel Grodstein
;
Joel Grodstein
1
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Tufts University
, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
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Michael Levin
Michael Levin
a)
2
Allen Discovery Center, Tufts University
, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA
3
Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University
, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: Michael.Levin@tufts.edu
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a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed: Michael.Levin@tufts.edu
Biophysics Rev. 2, 031305 (2021)
Article history
Received:
July 05 2021
Accepted:
September 07 2021
Connected Content
A companion article has been published:
Analysis of the developmental bioelectricity involved in regeneration
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Citation
Joel Grodstein, Michael Levin; Stability and robustness properties of bioelectric networks: A computational approach. Biophysics Rev. 1 September 2021; 2 (3): 031305. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0062442
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