Exploring the interdependence between self-organization and functional morphology in cellular systems

All living matter is subject to continuous adaptation and functional optimization via natural selection. Consequentially, structures with close morphological resemblance repeatedly appear across the phylogenetic tree. How these designs emerge at the cellular level is not fully understood. Here, we e...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of cell science Vol. 133; no. 13
Main Authors Mancinelli, Gloria, Galic, Milos
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England 03.07.2020
Subjects
Cell function
Cell shape
Evolutionary fitness
Functional morphology
Emergence
Self-organization
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:All living matter is subject to continuous adaptation and functional optimization via natural selection. Consequentially, structures with close morphological resemblance repeatedly appear across the phylogenetic tree. How these designs emerge at the cellular level is not fully understood. Here, we explore core concepts of functional morphology and discuss its cause and consequences, with a specific focus on emerging properties of self-organizing systems as the potential driving force. We conclude with open questions and limitations that are present when studying shape–function interdependence in single cells and cellular ensembles.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
ObjectType-Review-3
content type line 23
ISSN:0021-9533
1477-9137
1477-9137
DOI:10.1242/jcs.242479