Morphogen gradients are widely used to provide cells with the positional information needed to create spatial patterns of gene expression. Such pattern formation underlies a great deal of developmental morphogenesis, and is notable for its accuracy and reproducibility. Indeed, a large fraction of human birth defects are the direct result of relatively small disruptions in pattern formation. In most cases, the formation of morphogen gradients, and the responses of cells to them, is subject to complex regulation by networks of interacting transcription factors, receptors, and co-receptors. It is likely that such regulation evolved to make spatial patterning robust to biologically relevant perturbations (genetic variability, environmental uncertainty, intrinsic stochasticity, etc.). Focusing on the BMP gradient that patterns the antero-posterior axis of the Drosophila wing imaginal disc, we will explore and elucidate the mechanistic basis for robust patterning, through a collaborative approach that closely intertwines experimental biology with mathematical modeling and analysis. Three related areas of investigation will be pursued: First, we will quantify the cell-to-cell variability that normally impedes the ability of tissues to generate sharp borders of gene expression in response to shallow morphogen gradients, and investigate how such """"""""spatial noise"""""""" changes at different stages within the gene regulatory network that controls wing vein patterning. Second, we will pursue recent evidence suggesting that patterning is sensitive not only to levels of morphogen in a gradient but to the local gradient slope as well. As part of this work we will test the hypothesis that slope detection is mediated by the Fat signaling pathway, and serves the purpose of reducing spatial noise. Third, we will extend previous mathematical models of morphogen gradient formation and interpretation in order to elucidate the tradeoffs that arise among regulatory mechanisms that serve as strategies for achieving robustness with respect to individual types of perturbations. In particular, such models will incorporate mechanisms and performance objectives that have not heretofore been analyzed mathematically. Broadly, the goal of this work is to provide a more coherent understanding of how complex regulation of spatially dynamic biological systems is utilized to achieve robust performance under a wide variety of conditions. Ultimately, the results should provide insights into the pathological processes that lead to structural birth defects and other developmental abnormalities. )

Public Health Relevance

Were it not for the remarkable accuracy and reliability of embryonic and fetal development, birth defects would be far more common than they are. To understand how reliability is achieved, we are focusing on the process of pattern formation in the fruit fly wing, about which there is a great deal of mechanistic knowledge. By showing how complex regulatory circuitry enables robust pattern formation, we will gain general insights into how development succeeds so often, why it occasionally fails, and how the causes of such failures might be identified.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM067247-10
Application #
8209029
Study Section
Modeling and Analysis of Biological Systems Study Section (MABS)
Program Officer
Hoodbhoy, Tanya
Project Start
2002-07-01
Project End
2014-12-31
Budget Start
2012-01-01
Budget End
2012-12-31
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$390,668
Indirect Cost
$88,739
Name
University of California Irvine
Department
Miscellaneous
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
046705849
City
Irvine
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92697
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Lujan, Ernesto; Bornemann, Douglas J; Rottig, Carmen et al. (2016) Analysis of novel alleles of brother of tout-velu, the drosophila ortholog of human EXTL3 using a newly developed FRT42D ovo(D) chromosome. Genesis 54:573-581
Simonyan, Aghavni; Wan, Frederic Y M (2016) TRANSIENT FEEDBACK AND ROBUST SIGNALING GRADIENTS. Int J Numer Anal Model 13:179-204
Cinquin, Amanda; Zheng, Likun; Taylor, Pete H et al. (2015) Semi-permeable Diffusion Barriers Enhance Patterning Robustness in the C. elegans Germline. Dev Cell 35:405-17
Gantz, Valentino M; Bier, Ethan (2015) Genome editing. The mutagenic chain reaction: a method for converting heterozygous to homozygous mutations. Science 348:442-4
Lo, Wing-Cheong; Zhou, Shaohua; Wan, Frederic Y-M et al. (2015) Robust and precise morphogen-mediated patterning: trade-offs, constraints and mechanisms. J R Soc Interface 12:20141041
Sanchez-Tapia, Cynthia; Wan, Frederic Y M (2014) Fastest time to cancer by loss of tumor suppressor genes. Bull Math Biol 76:2737-84
Ovadia, Jeremy; Nie, Qing (2014) Numerical Methods for Two-Dimensional Stem Cell Tissue Growth. J Sci Comput 58:149-175
Wan, Frederic Y M (2014) Cell-Surface Bound Nonreceptors and Signaling Morphogen Gradients. Stud Appl Math 133:151-181
Holmes, William R; Nie, Qing (2014) Interactions and tradeoffs between cell recruitment, proliferation, and differentiation affect CNS regeneration. Biophys J 106:1528-36

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