Physical-chemical mechanisms of pattern formation during gastrulation

Gastrulation is a fundamental phase during the biological development of most animals when a single layer of identical embryo cells is transformed into a three-layer structure, from which the organs start to develop. Despite a remarkable progress in quantifying the gastrulation processes, molecular...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of chemical physics 2018-03, Vol.148 (12), p.123302-123302
Main Authors: Bozorgui, Behnaz, Kolomeisky, Anatoly B., Teimouri, Hamid
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Body Patterning
Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 - chemistry
Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 - physiology
Colonies
Diffusion rate
Embryonic Stem Cells - physiology
Embryos
Gastrulation - physiology
Low concentrations
Models, Biological
Organic chemistry
Organs
Patterning
Physics
Proteins
Signal Transduction
Signaling
Stem cells
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Summary:Gastrulation is a fundamental phase during the biological development of most animals when a single layer of identical embryo cells is transformed into a three-layer structure, from which the organs start to develop. Despite a remarkable progress in quantifying the gastrulation processes, molecular mechanisms of these processes remain not well understood. Here we theoretically investigate early spatial patterning in a geometrically confined colony of embryonic stem cells. Using a reaction-diffusion model, a role of Bone-Morphogenetic Protein 4 (BMP4) signaling pathway in gastrulation is specifically analyzed. Our results show that for slow diffusion rates of BMP4 molecules, a new length scale appears, which is independent of the size of the system. This length scale separates the central region of the colony with uniform low concentrations of BMP molecules from the region near the colony edge where the concentration of signaling molecules is elevated. The roles of different components of the signaling pathway are also explained. Theoretical results are consistent with recent in vitro experiments, providing microscopic explanations for some features of early embryonic spatial patterning. Physical-chemical mechanisms of these processes are discussed.
ISSN:0021-9606
1089-7690
DOI:10.1063/1.4993879