Modelling hormonal response and development ^☆

Highlights

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  Modelling has helped to understand the complex network structure of single hormonal pathways, but has also provided insights into hormone activity at many levels.

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  We describe how multiple hormones have been incorporated into new models.

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  We explore future challenges in integrating different models.

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  We propose that future models need to be more realistic by capturing more geometrical, mechanical as well as biological data.

Abstract

As our knowledge of the complexity of hormone homeostasis, transport, perception, and response increases, and their outputs become less intuitive, modelling is set to become more important. Initial modelling efforts have focused on hormone transport and response pathways. However, we now need to move beyond the network scales and use multicellular and multiscale modelling approaches to predict emergent properties at different scales. Here we review some examples where such approaches have been successful, for example, auxin–cytokinin crosstalk regulating root vascular development or a study of lateral root emergence where an iterative cycle of modelling and experiments lead to the identification of an overlooked role for PIN3. Finally, we discuss some of the remaining biological and technical challenges.