BIO 538 Molecular Mechanisms of Animal Development
Name ________________________________________
Readings Worksheet 4
"The Interpretation of Morphogen Gradients"
Development (2006) 133: 385-394
Use other internet sources and textbooks to help you understand new terminology or concepts.
1. What is a morphogen, and what is a general model of how it works to specify cell fates.
2. Based on experimental evidence, what is the maximum number of cell types that morphogen gradients have been
shown to specify?
3. How does a change in the concentration of a morphogen affect the signal transduction pathway it activates?
4. Describe in your own words how morphogen gradient information is transmitted by the following?
a) affinity of protein binding sites on DNA
b) involvement of other activator and repressor proteins
c) feed-forward loops
d) positive feedback
e) cross-repression
f) a reciprocal gradient of repressor protein