Fundamental limits on symmetry breaking by Turing-like activator-inhibitor mechanisms (opens in new tab)

ABSTRACTTuring's longstanding reaction-diffusion hypothesis explains how molecular patterns can self-organise de novo in otherwise homogeneous tissues. However, whilst Turing-like activator-inhibitor models can qualitatively recapitulate patterning in silico, they are often highly simplified approximations of the molecular complexity operating in vivo. Here, we investigate significantly more complex reaction-diffusion systems that seek to more directly capture the mechanisms involved in inter...