Lateral induction by juxtacrine signalling is a new mechanism for pattern formation
AUTHORS:
Markus R. Owen (1,2), Helen J. Wearing (3) & Jonathan A. Sherratt (3)
1: Department of Mathematics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA.
2: Nonlinear and Complex Systems Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University,
Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK.
3: Department of Mathematics, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK.
ABSTRACT:
Many signalling molecules in epithelia are now known to function in a
membrane-bound form, binding to receptors on immediately neighbouring
cells. This ``juxtacrine'' mode of communication has been well
studied in the case of lateral inhibition, where ligand binding at the
cell surface downregulates ligand and receptor expression, and is
known to generate spatial patterns with a wavelength of exactly two
cells. However, recent evidence shows that a number of juxtacrine
signals can lead to the opposite phenomenon of lateral induction.
Here, we use mathematical modelling to show that such positive
feedback, in combination with juxtacrine communication, provides a
novel mechanism for the generation of spatial patterns, with
wavelengths that vary with parameters and can be many cell lengths.
To go back...