On a model mechanism for the spatial patterning of teeth primordia in the alligator
Kulesa PM., Cruywagen GC., Lubkin SR., Maini PK., Sneyd J., Ferguson MWJ., Murray JD.
We propose a model mechanism for the initiation and spatial positioning of teeth primordia in the alligator, Alligator mississippiensis. Detailed embryological studies by Westergaard and Ferguson (1986, 1987, 1990) show that jaw growth plays a crucial role in the developmental patterning of the tooth initiation process. Based on biological data we develop a reaction-diffusion mechanism, which crucially includes domain growth. The model can reproduce the spatial pattern development of the first seven teeth primordia in the lower halfjaw of A. mississippiensis. The results for the precise spatio-temporal sequence compare well with detailed developmental experiments.