title: Robust selection of sensory organ precursors by the Notch-Delta pathway.
abstract: The patterning of multicellular organisms is robust to environmental, genetic, or stochastic fluctuations. Mathematical modeling is instrumental in identifying mechanisms supporting this robustness. The principle of lateral inhibition, whereby a differentiating cell inhibits its neighbors from adopting the same fate, is frequently used for selecting a single cell out of a cluster of equipotent cells. For example, Sensory Organ Precursors (SOP) in the fruit-fly Drosophila implement lateral inhibition by activating the Notch-Delta pathway. We discuss parameters affecting the rate of errors in this process, and the mechanism (inhibitory cis interaction between Notch and Delta) predicted to reduce this error.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barad
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hornstein
authors.forename: Naama
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barkai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005123:Eye / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012679:Sense Organs / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051880:Receptors, Notch; C064045:delta protein