Dynamics of Drosophila embryonic patterning network perturbed in space and time using microfluidics
Abstract
Biochemical networks are perturbed both by fluctuations in environmental conditions and genetic variation. These perturbations must be compensated for, especially when they occur during embryonic pattern formation. Complex chemical reaction networks displaying spatiotemporal dynamics have been controlled and understood by perturbing their environment in space and time. Here, we apply this approach using microfluidics to investigate the robust network in Drosophila melanogaster that compensates for variation in the Bicoid morphogen gradient. We show that the compensation system can counteract the effects of extremely unnatural environmental conditions-a temperature step-in which the anterior and posterior halves of the embryo are developing at different temperatures and thus at different rates. Embryonic patterning was normal under this condition, suggesting that a simple reciprocal gradient system is not the mechanism of compensation. Time-specific reversals of the temperature step narrowed down the critical period for compensation to between 65 and 100 min after onset of embryonic development. The microfluidic technology used here may prove useful to future studies, as it allows spatial and temporal regulation of embryonic development.
Additional Information
© 2005 Nature Publishing Group. Received 11 November 2004; Accepted 23 February 2005. This work was supported by the Searle Scholars Program and was performed at the Chicago MRSEC microfluidic facility funded by the NSF. N.H.P. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. We thank J. B. Brokaw, C. A. Macrander and M. Giorgianni for preliminary experiments. We thank D. Bilder and I. Hariharan for discussions and comments on the manuscript. Competing interests statement: The authors declare no competing financial interests.Attached Files
Accepted Version - nihms94333.pdf
Supplemental Material - Ismagilov_nature03509-s1_pdf.pdf
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Additional details
- PMCID
- PMC2656922
- Eprint ID
- 40831
- DOI
- 10.1038/nature03509
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20130821-160725036
- Searle Scholars Program
- NSF
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
- Created
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2013-08-28Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2023-06-02Created from EPrint's last_modified field