Each cell participates simultaneously in all four principles

In multicellular organisms each differentiated cell functions in a specialized way as part of a coherent larger system.  The ways they specialize and collaborate with other specialized cells in the same organism evolved together.  That is, the specializations coevolved -- one specialization supports and depends upon another. Similarly, the four principles coevolved during this process so that virtually all cells participate in all four architectural realms at once.

The principles themselves are operationally interdependent

Not only do cells reflect all four principles at once, the principles themselves are interdependent in the sense that each one relies on the others.

• Specialization requires a stigmergy structure (a body) to nurture and protect the specialized cells. They would not survive long in isolation. In turn, the stigmergy structure, i.e., the whole organism, benefits from their specialized activity. A stigmergic body makes no sense without specialization; Even cells in biofilms specialize. So, too, do ants and termites. The more complex their stigmergic social interactions, the more specialized are their roles in the insect colony (see pdf). Thus specialization and stigmergy are interdependent at a fundamental biological level.
  
• Once cells specialize, they must interpret messages accordingly, i.e., polymorphicly.  That's how a collaborating group with various specializations can respond in an orchestrated way to some common stimulus.  There is no orchestra conductor telling each one what to do.  A common message signals the situation and each specialized cell with a receptor for that message responds in accordance with its specialized role.  Similarly, specialized ants and termites must interpret messages from the perspective of their special abilities.  So specialization and polymorphic messaging are strongly interdependent.
  
• Since apoptosis exists to sculpt and protect a (stigmergic) body, clearly stigmergy and apoptosis are interdependent.  But also, the apoptotic messaging pathways depend upon polymorphic messaging and the cellular response to apoptosis messages differs according to the specialized function of the cell.  Thus apoptosis and specialization are interdependent.
  

Implications for multicellular computing

As multicellular computing architectures evolve, especially the emerging Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) and less formal Web Service mashups, we would be wise to adopt and carefully interleave all four principles.  Similarly, the architecture of multicellular computing messages should also be fully multicellular.  Those who "design" multicellular computing systems (or better put, attempt to grow such systems), should not only give thought to the various kinds of specialized "cells" that are needed, but also to how those cells implement the four principles and fit into a multicellular message architecture.

In summary, as we develop architectural patterns -- both hardware and software -- for the use of each of the four principles in computing, we must develop them so that the four patterns can be interwoven.  And there must be a meta-pattern that lays out how the interweaving is to happen.