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Topic Overview:
Developing embryos must direct the movements and fates of their cells with precision. Precise control, however, is no easy feat because genetic mutations, uncertain environmental conditions, and noisy signaling all threaten to scramble communication. Despite these challenges, embryonic development is remarkably robust. Research in the Lord lab aims to understand how embryos generate reliable gene expression patterns and how developmental mistakes are corrected when they arise. In this talk, Lord will discuss his recent efforts to understand the mechanisms of robust patterning in early zebrafish embryos.

Embryos often communicate instructions to their constituent cells using diffusible signaling molecules called morphogens. In textbook models, morphogens diffuse from a localized source to form a concentration gradient, and cells select fates by measuring the local morphogen concentration. However, natural patterning systems often incorporate numerous cofactors and extensive signaling feedback, suggesting that embryos require additional control to generate reliable patterns. Lord’s talk will present two recent studies that illuminate how these additional regulatory features enable the formation of precise, robust patterns by the model morphogen Nodal. Additionally, Lord will describe a new experimental platform for spatially resolved control of developmental signaling using light. By revealing the mechanisms of developmental error correction, the Lord lab hopes to pave the way for new tissue engineering approaches that leverage the embryo’s incredible capacity for robust development.