Biology subjects

Booth, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Booth, H..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

A closed feedback between tissue phase transitions and morphogen gradients drives patterning dynamics

During development mechanochemical cues in the cell microenvironment are translated into signalling to drive cell fate decisions. As cells differentiate collectively, it raises the question of how tissue-level properties affect instructive cues of decision-making. Here, we show that a tissue rigidity phase transition guides patterning by tuning the length-scales and time-scales of morphogen signalling. By combining rigidity percolation theory, reaction-diffusion modelling, quantitative imaging, optogenetics and single-cell transcriptomics in zebrafish, we uncover dynamical global tissue rigidity patterns that actively shape the Nodal morphogen gradient by restricting ligand dispersal and accelerating its signalling activity. In this self-generated mechanism, Nodal, besides driving meso-endoderm fate specification, increases cell-cell adhesion strength via regulating planar cell polarity genes. Once adhesion strength reaches a critical point, it triggers a rigidity transition which collapses tissue porosity. The abrupt tissue reorganisation negatively feeds back on Nodal signalling impacting both its length-scales, by limiting Nodal diffusivity, and its time-scales, by speeding up the expression of its antagonist Lefty, thereby ensuring timely signal termination and robust patterning. Overall, we reveal how emergent properties set the spatiotemporal dynamics of morphogen gradients, uncovering macroscopic mechanisms of pattern formation.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Gene network architecture, mutation and selection collectively drive developmental pattern evolvability and predictability

A hallmark of development is the generation of spatial patterns driven by morphogen gradients and Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). Although the mechanistic basis by which GRNs orchestrate cellular responses and tissue patterning during development is well understood, their evolutionary dynamics remain less clear. Still, utations in regulatory elements that govern GRN-driven patterning are a key mechanism for patterning evolution. In this study, we use the de novo evolution of a stripe phenotype as a model framework to investigate the evolutionary dynamics associated with the emergence of new spatial gene expression boundaries and the adjustment of existing boundaries. To probe general principles of GRN-driven pattern evolution we introduce a new high-throughput theoretical framework that rapidly produces a comprehensive dataset of evolutionary trajectories. We leverage this large dataset to investigate the types of mutations that drive different phenotypic shifts in spatial patterning. Our findings suggest that the order in which mutations in gene-gene interactions appear, and the specific combination of gene-gene interactions that mutate together determine the evolvability of novel spatial gene expression patterns. We interpret our results in the context of epistatic effects that naturally arise in networks of interconnected genes, and show how contingencies and constraints emerge in our system. Our results elucidate the interplay between mutation and gene network organization, revealing how historical contingencies arise and impact the evolvability of GRNs and the predictability of their evolutionary outcomes.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Understanding consumers to inform market interventions for Singapore's shark fin trade

O_LISharks, rays and their cartilaginous relatives (Class Chondricthyes, herein sharks) are amongst the worlds most threatened species groups, primarily due to overfishing, which in turn is driven by complex market forces including demand for fins. Understanding the high-value shark fin market is a global priority for conserving shark and rays, yet the preferences of shark fin consumers are not well understood. This gap hinders the design of evidence-based consumer-focused conservation interventions. C_LIO_LIUsing an online discrete choice experiment, we explored preferences for price, quality, size, menu types (as a proxy for exclusivity) and source of fins (with varying degrees of sustainability) among 300 shark fin consumers in Singapore: a global entrepot for shark fin trade. C_LIO_LIOverall, consumers preferred lower-priced fins sourced from responsible fisheries or produced using novel lab-cultured techniques. We also identified four consumer segments, each with distinct psychographic characteristics and consumption behaviors. C_LIO_LIThese preferences and profiles could be leveraged to inform new regulatory and market-based interventions regarding the sale and consumption of shark fins, and incentivize responsible fisheries and lab-cultured innovation for delivering conservation and sustainability goals. C_LIO_LIIn addition, message framing around health benefits, shark endangerment and counterfeiting could reinforce existing beliefs amongst consumers in Singapore and drive behavioral shifts to ensure that market demand remains within the limits of sustainable supply. C_LI

ecology↗