Origin and function of fluctuations in cell behaviour and the emergence of patterns

Morphogenesis is the process whereby cells assemble into tissues and organs. Recent studies of this process have revealed heterogeneity of individual cell behaviours that contrasts with the deterministic activity of tissues as a whole. Here we review these observations and suggest that fluctuations...

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Veröffentlicht in:Seminars in cell & developmental biology 2009-09, Vol.20 (7), p.877-884
Hauptverfasser: Mateus, Ana M., Gorfinkiel, Nicole, Arias, Alfonso Martinez
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Morphogenesis is the process whereby cells assemble into tissues and organs. Recent studies of this process have revealed heterogeneity of individual cell behaviours that contrasts with the deterministic activity of tissues as a whole. Here we review these observations and suggest that fluctuations and heterogeneities are a central substrate for morphogenesis and that there might exist mechanisms dedicated to the averaging of these fluctuations to ensure robust and reproducible behaviours at the tissue level.
ISSN:1084-9521
1096-3634
DOI:10.1016/j.semcdb.2009.07.009