dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaAdaptive walks in a gene network model of morphogenesis: insights into the Cambrian explosion
| Authors | Ricard V. Sole, Pau Fernandez, Stuart A. Kauffman |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | q-bio/0311013 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0311013 |
Abstract
The emergence of complex patterns of organization close to the Cambrian boundary is known to have happened over a (geologically) short period of time. It involved the rapid diversification of body plans and stands as one of the major transitions in evolution. How it took place is a controversial issue. Here we explore this problem by considering a simple model of pattern formation in multicellular organisms. By modeling gene network-based morphogenesis and its evolution through adaptive walks, we explore the question of how combinatorial explosions might have been actually involved in the Cambrian event. Here we show that a small amount of genetic complexity including both gene regulation and cell-cell signaling allows one to generate an extraordinary repertoire of stable spatial patterns of gene expression compatible with observed anteroposterior patterns in early development of metazoans. The consequences for the understanding of the tempo and mode of the Cambrian event are outlined.
{
"annotation_id": "9b5a19cf-3a0b-4cd8-9473-394206d9b11c",
"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:28.605000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:28.605000Z",
"file_hash": "b2f14e4054ada62478a701b4efd502846ad7fecfcf52cc959aa02253c0f803cd",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "The emergence of complex patterns of organization close to the Cambrian\nboundary is known to have happened over a (geologically) short period of time.\nIt involved the rapid diversification of body plans and stands as one of the\nmajor transitions in evolution. How it took place is a controversial issue.\nHere we explore this problem by considering a simple model of pattern formation\nin multicellular organisms. By modeling gene network-based morphogenesis and\nits evolution through adaptive walks, we explore the question of how\ncombinatorial explosions might have been actually involved in the Cambrian\nevent. Here we show that a small amount of genetic complexity including both\ngene regulation and cell-cell signaling allows one to generate an extraordinary\nrepertoire of stable spatial patterns of gene expression compatible with\nobserved anteroposterior patterns in early development of metazoans. The\nconsequences for the understanding of the tempo and mode of the Cambrian event\nare outlined.",
"arxiv_id": "q-bio/0311013",
"authors": [
"Ricard V. Sole",
"Pau Fernandez",
"Stuart A. Kauffman"
],
"categories": [
"q-bio.GN",
"q-bio.MN",
"q-bio.PE"
],
"title": "Adaptive walks in a gene network model of morphogenesis: insights into the Cambrian explosion",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0311013"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "35d0d3af-b1d9-45c5-a0f7-41e64c1749c5",
"id": "arXiv Dataset IDs",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-03-01",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}