Complex three‐dimensional
- Award ID(s):
- 2033723
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10383486
- Author(s) / Creator(s):
- ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; more »
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- ISSN:
- 0077-8923
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Multicellular systems, from bacterial biofilms to human organs, form interfaces (or boundaries) between different cell collectives to spatially organize versatile functions 1,2 . The evolution of sufficiently descriptive genetic toolkits probably triggered the explosion of complex multicellular life and patterning 3,4 . Synthetic biology aims to engineer multicellular systems for practical applications and to serve as a build-to-understand methodology for natural systems 5–8 . However, our ability to engineer multicellular interface patterns 2,9 is still very limited, as synthetic cell–cell adhesion toolkits and suitable patterning algorithms are underdeveloped 5,7,10–13 . Here we introduce a synthetic cell–cell adhesin logic with swarming bacteria and establish the precise engineering, predictive modelling and algorithmic programming of multicellular interface patterns. We demonstrate interface generation through a swarming adhesion mechanism, quantitative control over interface geometry and adhesion-mediated analogues of developmental organizers and morphogen fields. Using tiling and four-colour-mapping concepts, we identify algorithms for creating universal target patterns. This synthetic 4-bit adhesion logic advances practical applications such as human-readable molecular diagnostics, spatial fluid control on biological surfaces and programmable self-growing materials 5–8,14 . Notably, a minimal set of just four adhesins represents 4 bits of information that suffice to program universal tessellation patterns, implying a low critical threshold for the evolution and engineering of complex multicellular systems 3,5 .more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.14896
