Figure 2.

Simulated cell fusion can change cell types. (A) Fusion of two cells of the same type leads to a hybrid of the same type. (B) Fusion of two cell types (Sun and Bell) results in a hybrid that belongs to another cell type (Heart; see also Movie S2). (C) Interpretation of B. Cell fusion can transport a cell from one attractor (Bell) to the basin of another (Heart) by creating an intermediate product (Bell + Sun) with another cell (Sun). This mechanism bypasses the need to overcome the hills of the epigenetic space.