How do cells count? Signals, networks, and cell ratios

The zebrafish neuromast offers a tractable system to study self-organization in living tissues, where local interactions give rise to robust global patterns. In this organ, stem-like support cells maintain a precise ratio of cell types by balancing division and differentiation, regulated by short-range Notch signaling. To understand how such local signaling drives coordinated fate decisions in a continuously remodeling system, we developed a hybrid modeling framework that integrates dynamical systems with data-driven network reconstruction. Using live imaging, we extract time-resolved cell-cell contact networks and embed them in a system of coupled ODEs representing Notch signaling dynamics. This approach enables prediction of differentiation patterns at single-cell resolution. We show that the topology of the contact network critically shapes the collective dynamics and ensures robustness to perturbations. Our results highlight how local rules, implemented through signaling on evolving networks, generate global order in a living, dynamic system.



Presential in semina room. Zoom stream: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81883014685?pwd=TwZ30MaeJJKkUgR5bllHExXhyATV3k.1