Precise role of transient Turing patterns in morphogenesis

Determine the precise role of transient Turing patterns generated by the interplay between saddle-node bifurcation and diffusion-driven instability in morphogenesis, specifically within reaction–diffusion morphogenetic models such as the Nodal–Lefty activator–inhibitor system, in order to clarify how these transient structures contribute to developmental patterning outcomes.

Background

The paper analyzes Turing pattern formation in a synthetic morphogenetic reaction–diffusion model for Nodal–Lefty signaling, distinguishing supercritical and subcritical regimes via weakly nonlinear analysis and validating predictions with numerical simulations. Beyond stable Turing patterns, the authors note that transient patterns can arise due to the interplay between a saddle-node bifurcation and diffusion-driven instability.

While such transient patterns have been observed and studied in similar morphogenetic models, their functional significance in actual morphogenetic processes is not established. Clarifying their role would help interpret the developmental relevance of reaction–diffusion dynamics and guide experimental design and model refinement in systems like Nodal–Lefty.