title: Elucidating mechanisms underlying robustness of morphogen gradients.
abstract: Morphogen gradients play a pivotal role in most phases of developmental patterning. To ensure proper patterning, reproducible gradients are established under diverse environmental conditions and genetic backgrounds. We refer to the capacity to buffer fluctuations in gene dosage or environmental conditions as 'robustness'. By theoretical analysis of mechanisms that facilitate robustness, it is possible to unravel the machinery responsible for generating the spatial distribution of morphogens.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Molecular Genetics and Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Avigdor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eldar
authors.forename: Ben-Zion
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Shilo
authors.forename: Naama
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barkai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology*; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology*; D018628:Gene Dosage; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C090409:SCW protein, Drosophila; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; C064196:dpp protein, Drosophila; C091428:sog protein, Drosophila