macroscopic structure made by the interactions that differ in the effective distance

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: From molecules, cells to organs : trans-hierarchical logic for higher-order pattern and structures
• Project/Area Number: 22127003
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: KONDO Shigeru 大阪大学, 生命機能研究科, 教授 (10252503)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 形態形成 / 皮膚模様 / ゼブラフィッシュ / 反応拡散 / 色素細胞 / チューリング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this project research, we aimed to clarify the mechanism that generates the skin pattern in animals using zebrafish. At the point of beginning, it was already known that the skin pattern has the nature of Turing pattern. However, the details of the cellular mechanism remained almost unknown. Following the prediction from the theory, we identified the cellular behaviors and the related molecules, and finally figured out the cell-cell interaction network that is compatible to the necessary conditions for the turing pattern formation. Although there are still left unsolved some interesting questions, for example, the in vitro pattern formation or the involvement of gap-junction, we concluded that the major part of our project has completed.

Free Research Field

発生学