Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Application of Impermeable Barriers Combined with Candidate Factor Soaked Beads to Study Inductive Signals in the Chick
Published on: November 17, 2016
Speed of pattern appearance in reaction-diffusion models: implications in the pattern formation of limb bud
Takashi Miura1, Philip K Maini
1Department of Human Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK. Miura@human-anatomy.oxford.ac.uk
Abstract:
It has been postulated that fibroblast growth factor (FGF) treatment of cultured limb bud mesenchyme cells reinforces the lateral inhibitory effect, but the cells also show accelerated pattern appearance. In the present study, we analyze how a small change in a specific parameter affects the speed of pattern appearance in a Turing reaction-diffusion system using linear stability analysis. It is shown that the sign of the change in appearance speed is qualitatively decided if the system is under the diffusion-driven instability condition, and this is confirmed by numerical simulations. Numerical simulations also show that a small change in parameter value induced easily detectable differences in the appearance speed of patterns. Analysis of the Gierer-Meinhardt model revealed that a change in a single parameter can explain two effects of FGF on limb mesenchyme cells-reinforcement of lateral inhibition and earlier appearance of pattern. These qualitative properties and easy detectability make this feature a promising tool to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of biological pattern formation where the quantitative parameters are difficult to obtain.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Gastrulation
Cell Migration
Cell Migration
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...

