A computational statistics approach for estimating the spatial range of morphogen gradients [RESEARCH ARTICLES]

A computational statistics approach for estimating the spatial range of morphogen gradients [RESEARCH ARTICLES]: Jitendra S. Kanodia, Yoosik Kim, Raju Tomer, Zia Khan, Kwanghun Chung, John D. Storey, Hang Lu, Philipp J. Keller, and Stanislav Y. Shvartsman

A crucial issue in studies of morphogen gradients relates to their range: the distance over which they can act as direct regulators of cell signaling, gene expression and cell differentiation. To address this, we present a straightforward statistical framework that can be used in multiple developmental systems. We illustrate the developed approach by providing a point estimate and confidence interval for the spatial range of the graded distribution of nuclear Dorsal, a transcription factor that controls the dorsoventral pattern of the Drosophila embryo.