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Mathematical Models of Morphogen Gradients and Growth Control

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Abstract

Morphogen gradients provide positional information in many developing systems. Morphogens are diffusible molecules produced from localized sources; they diffuse through tissues and are cleared. The spatial concentration gradient of morphogen-receptor complexes induces spatially graded differences in cell signaling, which lead to different stable cell fates and visual tissue patterns during development. The formation of morphogen gradients is among the most fundamental biological processes during development, regeneration, and disease. In this chapter, we introduce mathematical models for the dynamics of morphogen gradients and methods to analyze morphogen gradients and the robustness of the steady state.

Science may be described as the art of systematic oversimplification.

—Karl Popper

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    Jinzhi Lei

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Lei, J. (2021). Mathematical Models of Morphogen Gradients and Growth Control. In: Systems Biology. Lecture Notes on Mathematical Modelling in the Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73033-8_7

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