pattern formation

pattern formation [′pad·ərn fər‚mā·shən]

(embryology)

The embryogenic process in which the spatial differentiation of cells is specified in a structure that initially is largely homogeneous.

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Pattern formation (biology)

The mechanisms that ensure that particular cell types differentiate in the correct location within the embryo and that the layers of cells bend and grow in the correct relative positions. Pattern formation is one of four processes that underlie development, the others being growth, cell diversification, and morphogenesis. See Animal morphogenesis, Cell differentiation, Plant growth

Pattern formation is the creation of a predictable arrangement of cell types in space during embryonic development. The types of patterns of cell types found in animals and plants can be conveniently described as simple or complex. Simple patterns involve the spatial arrangement of identical or equivalent structures such as bristles on the leg of a fly, hairs on a person's head, or leaves on a plant. Such equivalent patterns are thought to be produced by mechanisms that are the same or very similar in the fly and the plant. Complex patterns are those that are made up of parts that are not equivalent to one another. In the vertebrate limb, for example, the structure of the arm is different at each level, with one bone (humerus) in the upper arm, two bones (radius and ulna) in the lower arm, and a complex set of bones making up the wrist and the hand. How are such nonequivalent parts patterned during development? The theoretical framework that allows a basis for understanding how such patterns arise is called positional information. Two stages exist in the positional information framework. First, a cell must become aware of its position within a developing group, or field, of cells. This specification of cellular position requires a mechanism by which each cell within a field can obtain a unique value or address. The second component is the interpretation of the positional address by a cell to manifest a particular cell type by the expression of a particular set of genes. See Developmental biology, Embryonic differentiation