title: Morpheus unbound: reimagining the morphogen gradient.
abstract: The theory that the spatial organization of cell fate is orchestrated by gradients of diffusing molecules was a major contribution to 20th century developmental biology. Although the existence of morphogens is no longer in doubt, studies on the formation and function of their gradients have yielded far more puzzles than answers. On close inspection, every morphogen gradient seems to use a rich array of regulatory mechanisms, suggesting that the tasks carried out by such systems are far more extensive than previously thought.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Developmental Biology Center and Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. adlander@uci.edu
authors.forename: Arthur D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Lander
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology*; D004058:Diffusion; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D049490:Systems Biology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins