Mechanism that make a positional information in the animal body

为了正确地完成动物形态发生，胚胎中的细胞必须知道它们在哪里。1952年，图灵提出了一个划时代的数学模型来回答这个问题。他的想法被称为反应-扩散模型，解释了动物体内位置信息的自主产生。尽管该模型具有数学上的美，但由于缺乏生物学证据，40多年来很少有实验生物学家关注该模型。1995年，我们（Kondo et al）发现一些鱼类的模式变化是可以通过图灵模型预测的，这是图灵模式在生物学领域的第一个可靠证据。在本研究项目中，我们的目的是确定假设的分子反应的分子特性。为了了解神仙鱼（Pomacanthus）皮肤现象的普遍性，我们研究了其他一些鱼类和其他脊椎动物皮肤模式变化的时间过程。我们发现，几种鱼类、青蛙、蜥蜴的皮肤模式都在以图灵模型预测的方式变化。脊椎动物的皮肤花纹极有可能是由共同的机制——反应扩散系统形成的。为了获得斑马鱼皮肤花纹的遗传控制信息，我们在斑马鱼皮肤花纹突变系之间制作了杂交鱼。其中一个重要的结果来自于豹子基因突变体的杂交。基于图灵模型的计算机模拟可以预测所有等位基因和杂交种的不同表皮图案。豹子基因肯定是图灵反应的核心要素之一。我们现在正计划分离这种基因。最近，我们发现鲶鱼的皮肤图案可以通过一些有机溶剂的刺激而改变。这一发现使直接发现影响反应扩散的化学物质成为可能。

To accomplish animal morphogenesis correctly, cells in the embryo must know where they are. In 1952, Turing presented an epoch-making mathematical model to answer the question. His idea, called the reaction-diffusion model, explains the autonomous creation of the positional information in the animal body. In spite of the mathematical beauty of the model, few experimental biologists had paid attentions to the model for more than 40 years because of the lack of biological evidence. In 1995, we (Kondo et al) have found that the pattern alteration of some fish is predictable by the Turing model, that is the first reliable evidence for the Turing pattern in the field of biology. In this research project, we aimed to identify the molecular identity of the hypothetical molecular reaction.Results1. To know how general is the phenomena found in the skin of marine angelfish (Pomacanthus), we investigate the time course of the skin pattern alteration with some other fish and other vertebrates. We found that the several species of fish, frog, lizart have skin patterns changing in the manner that Turing's model predicts. It is highly possible that skin patterns of vertebrates are made by the common mechanism, the reaction-diffusion system.2. To get the information about the genetic control of the skin pattern of zebrafish, we made the hybrid fish between the skin pattern mutant lines.One of the significant results came from the crosses of leopard gene mutants. All the different skin patterns of the alleles and hybrids are predictable by the computer simulation based on the Turing model. The leopard gene must be one of the core element of the Turing reaction. We are now planning to isolate the gene.3. Recently we found that the skin pattern of a catfish (plecostoms) can be changed by the stimulation of some organic solvents. This finding makes it possible to find directly the chemicals that affect the reaction-diffusion.