Dresden 2011 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 24: Physics of Cells II

BP 24.10: Talk

Thursday, March 17, 2011, 12:45–13:00, ZEU 250

Random cell movement promotes synchronization of the segmentation clock — •Koichiro Uriu^1,2, Yoshihiro Morishita^2,3, and Yoh Iwasa² — ¹Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany — ²Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan — ³PRESTO JST, Japan

In vertebrate somitogenesis, the expression of segmentation clock genes show oscillation, synchronized over neighboring cells. Both experimental and theoretical studies have shown that the synchronization between neighboring cells is achieved by intercellular interaction via Delta-Notch signaling. However, the following question emerges: during somitogenesis, active cell movement is observed in the posterior presomitic mesoderm. Can a synchronized state be stably sustained under random cell movement? In this talk, we show that synchronized oscillation can be sustained under random cell movement. We also find that after disturbed initial condition, the synchronization of cells is achieved much faster with random cell movement. We also show that the anisotropy in the direction of cell movement and the shapes of tissues affect synchronization of the segmentation clock.