title: Oscillators and the emergence of tissue organization during zebrafish somitogenesis.
abstract: Genetic networks that include positive and negative feedback can exhibit oscillations. These oscillations are a form of emergence, which is when novel patterns or properties arise during self organization of complex systems. Within the extending trunk and tail of the developing vertebrate embryo, the somitogenesis oscillator governs the periodic formation of segments that ultimately become the vertebral column and musculature. These oscillations occur within the context of noise created by cell movement, mitosis, and stochastic gene expression. Here, we review recent progress in our understanding of the role of the Notch signaling pathway in the zebrafish segmentation oscillator and our appreciation of how the oscillator interfaces with different sources of noise.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mara
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Holley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks; D019521:Body Patterning; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D019170:Somites / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051880:Receptors, Notch; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins