Abstract :
Understanding the operation and evolution of gene regulation networks is critical to
understanding ontogeny and evolution. According to Stuart Kauffman’s view, (1) each
cell type cycles through its own repeated pattern of gene expression, (2) the order of
ontogeny is dependent on these cycles being short, and (3) evolution is possible because
these cycles mutate gradually. This view of gene regulation reflects Kauffman’s view that
ontogeny is fundamentally the process of cells repeating cycles of activity. I criticize
Kauffman’s view of gene regulation networks and offer the connectionist theory of
gene regulation as an alternative. On this view, the generic order of gene regulation
mechanisms is due to the qualitatively consistent way that one gene product influences
the expression of another. This allows networks to be stable and evolve to regulate
accurately, allowing cells to react appropriately to their microenvironments, due to
design by natural selection.
