Department of Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7UH, UK.
Trends Cell Biol. 2012 Jun;22(6):311-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tcb.2012.03.002. Epub 2012 Apr 13.
Concentration gradients of morphogens are critical regulators of patterning in developmental biology. Increasingly, intracellular concentration gradients have also been found to orchestrate spatial organization, but inside single cells, where they regulate processes such as cell division, polarity and mitotic spindle dynamics. Here, we discuss recent progress in understanding how such intracellular gradients can be built robustly. We focus particularly on the Pom1p gradient in fission yeast, elucidating how various buffering mechanisms operate to ensure precise gradient formation. In this case, a systems-level understanding of the entire mechanism of precise gradient construction is now within reach, with important implications for gradients in both intracellular and developmental contexts.
形态发生素的浓度梯度是发育生物学中模式形成的关键调节剂。越来越多的证据表明，细胞内的浓度梯度也可以协调空间组织，但它们是在单个细胞内起作用的，调节细胞分裂、极性和有丝分裂纺锤体动力学等过程。在这里，我们讨论了最近在理解如何稳健地构建这种细胞内梯度方面的进展。我们特别关注裂殖酵母中的 Pom1p 梯度，阐明了各种缓冲机制如何协同作用以确保精确的梯度形成。在这种情况下，现在可以从系统层面理解精确梯度构建的整个机制，这对细胞内和发育环境中的梯度都有重要意义。
