[
East Coast Worm Meeting,
2002]
The field of developmental genetics is entering a new phase, in which the synthesis of information from many sources will be necessary to gain a deeper understanding of how various tissues, cells, biochemical interactions and genetic networks collaborate to form a functional organism. The purpose of this project is to model and rigorously simulate and analyze a particular biological system the C. elegans egg-laying system using languages, methodologies and tools developed by computer scientists for the reliable development of highly reactive computerized systems. The model will incorporate existing anatomical, genetic and biochemical data pertaining to the development and function of (i) the gonad, (ii) the vulva, (iii) the uterine and vulval musculature, and (iv) the hermaphrodite specific neurons (HSNs). We concentrate on an object-oriented approach using the visual language of statecharts for specifying behavior, and tools such as Rhapsody for model execution and analysis. In previous work, we have successfully applied this language and tool to the biological phenomenon of T cell activation. The T cell activation model served as a feasibility test and integrated phenomena associated with cell-cycle control, cell fate, cell behavior and location. We are now in the midst of a far more ambitious effort, involving more complex biological phenomena that will incorporate additional aspects of development, including cell fate acquisition, cell migration, axon guidance, and apoptosis. In principle, our model will eventually handle virtually all aspects of development, ultimately allowing our results to be extended to and used by the entire C. elegans community, and will apply to other systems too.