Fig. 2: Spontaneous contrasting patterning in a large lateral inhibition system can be predicted from bistability in a 2-cell system.
From: Cell-in-the-loop pattern formation with optogenetically emulated cell-to-cell signaling
The bistability of a 2-cell system can be used to evaluate contrasting patterning in a full network of isogenic, mutually inhibiting cells arranged in a grid with periodic boundary conditions. Bistability of the corresponding 2-cell system implies contrasting patterns exist in the full system (see subsection entitled Summary of theory). Bistability can be assessed through an analytical test in which the closed-loop dynamical system is opened into an input/output system by breaking the feedback loop. If a constant-in-time input to the open-loop system produces a steady-state output value equal to the input value, then that value is a steady state for the corresponding closed-loop system.
