title: Morphogen gradient formation.
abstract: How morphogen gradients are formed in target tissues is a key question for understanding the mechanisms of morphological patterning. Here, we review different mechanisms of morphogen gradient formation from theoretical and experimental points of view. First, a simple, comprehensive overview of the underlying biophysical principles of several mechanisms of gradient formation is provided. We then discuss the advantages and limitations of different experimental approaches to gradient formation analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ortrud
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wartlick
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kicheva
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Gaitán
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology*; D003585:Cell Biology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D015509:Developmental Biology; D004058:Diffusion; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins