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Pigment cell movement is not required for generation of Turing patterns in zebrafish skin

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  • D. Bullara

    (Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (CENOLI), and Nonlinear Physical Chemistry Unit, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
    Present address: IFISC (CSIC-UIB) Instituto de Física Interdisciplinary Sistemas Complejos, Campus Universitat de les Illes Balears, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.)

  • Y. De Decker

    (Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (CENOLI), and Nonlinear Physical Chemistry Unit, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB))

Abstract

The zebrafish is a model organism for pattern formation in vertebrates. Understanding what drives the formation of its coloured skin motifs could reveal pivotal to comprehend the mechanisms behind morphogenesis. The motifs look and behave like reaction–diffusion Turing patterns, but the nature of the underlying physico-chemical processes is very different, and the origin of the patterns is still unclear. Here we propose a minimal model for such pattern formation based on a regulatory mechanism deduced from experimental observations. This model is able to produce patterns with intrinsic wavelength, closely resembling the experimental ones. We mathematically prove that their origin is a Turing bifurcation occurring despite the absence of cell motion, through an effect that we call differential growth. This mechanism is qualitatively different from the reaction–diffusion originally proposed by Turing, although they both generate the short-range activation and the long-range inhibition required to form Turing patterns.

Suggested Citation

  • D. Bullara & Y. De Decker, 2015. "Pigment cell movement is not required for generation of Turing patterns in zebrafish skin," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 6(1), pages 1-7, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:6:y:2015:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms7971
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7971
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    Cited by:

    1. Cencetti, Giulia & Battiston, Federico & Carletti, Timoteo & Fanelli, Duccio, 2020. "Generalized patterns from local and non local reactions," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).

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