title: Ratio control in a cascade model of cell differentiation.
abstract: We propose a kind of reaction-diffusion equations for cell differentiation, which exhibits the Turing instability. If the diffusivity of some variables is set to be infinity, we get coupled competitive reaction-diffusion equations with a global feedback term. The size ratio of each cell type is controlled by a system parameter in the model. Finally, we extend the model to a cascade model of cell differentiation. A hierarchical spatial structure appears as a result of the cell differentiation. The size ratio of each cell type is also controlled by the system parameter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Science for Electronics and Materials, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidetsugu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakaguchi
mesh_terms: D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005246:Feedback / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological