Turing pattern design principles and their robustness

Abstract

Turing patterns have morphed from mathematical curiosities into highly desirable targets for synthetic biology. For a long time, their biological significance was sometimes disputed but there is now ample evidence for their involvement in processes ranging from skin pigmentation to digit and limb formation. While their role in developmental biology is now firmly established, their synthetic design has so far proved challenging. Here, we review recent large-scale mathematical analyses that have attempted to narrow down potential design principles. We consider different aspects of robustness of these models and outline why this perspective will be helpful in the search for synthetic Turing-pat..