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A computational model of the effect of gene misexpression on the development of cortical areas

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Abstract

Brain function depends on the specialisation of brain areas. In the murine cerebral cortex, the development of these areas depends on the coordinated expression of several genes in precise spatial patterns in the telencephalon during embryogenesis. Manipulating the expression of these genes during development alters the positions and sizes of cortical areas in the adult. Qualitative data also show that these genes regulate each other’s expression during development so that they form a regulatory network with many feedback loops. However, it is currently unknown which regulatory interactions are critical to generating the correct expression patterns to lead to normal cortical development. Here, we formalise the relationships inferred from genetic manipulations into computational models. We simulate many different networks potentially consistent with the experimental data and show that a surprising diversity of networks produce similar results. This demonstrates that existing data cannot uniquely specify the network. We conclude by suggesting experiments necessary to constrain the model and help identify and understand the true structure of this regulatory network.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Peter Dayan, Linda Richards, Guillermina López-Bendito, and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful feedback and comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award to CEG and the Human Frontier Science Program (Grant RPG0029/2008-C).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Clare E. Giacomantonio & Geoffrey J. Goodhill

  2. School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Geoffrey J. Goodhill

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  1. Clare E. Giacomantonio
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  2. Geoffrey J. Goodhill
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Correspondence to Geoffrey J. Goodhill.

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Giacomantonio, C.E., Goodhill, G.J. A computational model of the effect of gene misexpression on the development of cortical areas. Biol Cybern 108, 203–221 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-014-0590-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00422-014-0590-x

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