Paper

Cell-autonomous generation of the wave pattern within the vertebrate segmentation clock

Jülicher, Frank, Bercowsky-Rama, Arianne, Soroldoni, Daniele, Strnad, Petr, Rohde, Laurel A, Oates, Andrew C, Valentin, Guillaume, Sundar Ram Naganathan, Negrete, Jose, Desai, Ravi A

2021

Overview

Abstract Sequential segmentation of the body axis is fundamental to vertebrate embryonic patterning. This relies on the segmentation clock, a multi-cellular oscillating genetic-network, which mainifests as tissue-level kinematic waves of gene expression that arrest at the position of each new segment. How this hallmark wave pattern is generated is an open question. We compare cellular-resolution oscillatory patterns in the embryo to those generated cell-autonomously in culture without extrinsic signals. We find striking similarity, albeit with greater variability in the timing of clock arrest in culture. Our simple physical description of a clock controlled by a noisy cell-intrinsic timer captures these dynamics. We propose the segmentation clock integrates an intrinsic, timer-driven oscillatory program, which underlies the waves and arrest, with extrinsic cues regulating the intrinsic timer’s duration and precision. One-sentence Summary Segmentation clock and wavefront activities underlying tissue-level wave patterns are cell-autonomous properties in the PSM. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

• Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
• Subject: Cell culture / Embryogenesis / Gene expression / Pattern formation / Segmentation