Oscillatory gene expression in cell differentiation and tissue patterning

Recent advances in imaging techniques and single-cell transcriptomics have revealed that many genes exhibit ultradian rhythms across diverse developmental processes and in tissue homeostasis, underscoring the importance of rhythmic gene expression in the regulation of cell fate determination, cellular competence, and tissue patterning. Although the biological functions of gene expression dynamics have long remained unclear, researchers have begun to elucidate the mechanisms by which distinct dynamic gene expression patterns regulate cell proliferation, cell differentiation, cell survival, cell death, and cell-cell interactions. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the functional roles of oscillatory gene expression in cell fate regulation, with a particular focus on the timing of cell fate decisions.