Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

What is Genetic Engineering?

What is Genetic Engineering?

Fixed Action Patterns

Fixed Action Patterns

A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.

Reversible and Irreversible Processes

Reversible and Irreversible Processes

The thermodynamic processes can be classified into reversible and irreversible processes. The processes that can be restored to their initial state are called reversible processes. It is only possible if the process is in quasi-static equilibrium, i.e., it takes place in infinitesimally small steps, and the system remains at equilibrium However, these are ideal processes and do not occur naturally. An ideal system undergoing a reversible process is always in thermodynamic equilibrium within...

Diode: Reverse bias

Diode: Reverse bias

A diode is reverse-biased when the positive terminal of an external voltage source is connected to the n-type material and the negative terminal to the p-type material. This configuration opposes the natural direction of current flow through the diode, effectively increasing the width of the depletion region and the barrier potential. The reverse bias condition produces a minimal leakage current, primarily due to minority charge carriers. This leakage becomes significant when the reverse...

Patterns of Fever

Patterns of Fever

Before understanding the types and patterns of fever, it is essential to know its phases.

Formation of Species

Formation of Species

Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A Hybrid Physics-Deep Learning Framework for Combinatorial De Novo Design of Small-Molecule Binding Proteins.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Ion- and Temperature-Programmable Reconfiguration of Subcompartments in Synthetic Cells.

Chembiochem : a European journal of chemical biology·2026

Same author

Optimizing spatial organization of FtsZ rings for large-scale constriction in synthetic cells.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

On the nature of the earliest known lifeforms.

eLife·2026

Same author

Photoisomerizing molecules in biological membranes.

Nature reviews. Chemistry·2025

Same author

Crosslinking by ZapD drives the assembly of short FtsZ filaments into toroidal structures in solution.

eLife·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Production of Nanofibrillar Patterned Collagen for Tissue Engineering

Production of Nanofibrillar Patterned Collagen for Tissue Engineering

Published on: September 20, 2024

Reverse and forward engineering of protein pattern formation.

Simon Kretschmer¹, Leon Harrington¹, Petra Schwille²

¹Department of Cellular and Molecular Biophysics, Max-Planck-Institute of Biochemistry, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences

|April 11, 2018

Summary

Cell-free systems enable studying protein pattern formation. Researchers used reverse engineering of the E. coli Min system to show MinE activity modulates protein patterns, advancing self-organization research.

Keywords:

Min system in vitro reconstitution pattern formation reaction–diffusion systems self-organization synthetic biology

More Related Videos

Three-dimensional Patterning of Engineered Biofilms with a Do-it-yourself Bioprinter

Three-dimensional Patterning of Engineered Biofilms with a Do-it-yourself Bioprinter

Published on: May 16, 2019

Understanding Cerebellar Pattern Formation

Understanding Cerebellar Pattern Formation

Published on: November 1, 2007

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Production of Nanofibrillar Patterned Collagen for Tissue Engineering

Production of Nanofibrillar Patterned Collagen for Tissue Engineering

Published on: September 20, 2024

Three-dimensional Patterning of Engineered Biofilms with a Do-it-yourself Bioprinter

Three-dimensional Patterning of Engineered Biofilms with a Do-it-yourself Bioprinter

Published on: May 16, 2019

Understanding Cerebellar Pattern Formation

Understanding Cerebellar Pattern Formation

Published on: November 1, 2007

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biochemistry
Systems Biology

Background:

Living systems utilize protein pattern formation for spatiotemporal regulation.
Studying these complex networks within cells is challenging.
Cell-free systems offer controlled environments for investigating protein self-organization.

Purpose of the Study:

To reveal the molecular basis of protein pattern formation.
To outline complementary approaches for studying self-organizing protein networks.
To engineer novel self-organizing protein systems.

Main Methods:

Biochemical reverse engineering of reconstituted protein networks.
De novo design (forward engineering) of artificial self-organizing systems.
Experimental reconstitution of the *Escherichia coli* Min system with MinE mutants.

Main Results:

Demonstrated modulation of large-scale Min protein patterns by MinE activity and concentration.
Showcased the utility of reconstituted MinE mutants in understanding pattern formation.
Provided a framework for de novo design of self-organizing protein networks.

Conclusions:

Integrated reverse and forward engineering approaches are crucial for understanding and engineering protein pattern formation.
Cell-free systems are powerful tools for dissecting molecular mechanisms of self-organization.
Further research in protein self-organization can lead to novel engineered biological systems.