Explain Lateral Inhibition and give an example of how Delta

Explain Lateral Inhibition and give an example of how Delta – Notch mediate lateral inhibition.

please answer the question and give an example.

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Solution

lateral inhibition is a process in which different cell types are generate from same progenitor cells. In lateral inhibition, identical projenitor cells prgrammed to differentiated to a certain cell type based on the requirement while a set of cell identical to those progenitor cell differentiate into other cell type at the same time.

If cells that normally adopt a particular fate were removed, cells that would otherwise acquire a secondary fate would replace them.

Example: if neuroblasts of certain insect\'s central nervous system were ablated, they will be replaced by cells normally fated to give rise to epidermis.

Delta – Notch mediated lateral inhibition: this was studied extensively in Drosophila.

Lateral inhibition meadiated by Delta-Notch signalling helps in determining which cell within a proneural cluster should become a neuroblast by nhibiting other cell in the vicinity.

All cells in proneural clusters in the neurectoderm are capable of becoming neural precursor cells. An autocrine signal from one cell promotes its own development to become a neuroblast while simultaneously prevents the adjacent cells from acquiring this fate.

The cell which could become neuroblast will express higher levels of Delta (a type of notch receptor) more strongly than its adjacent cells. Delta interacts with Notch on adjacent cells resulting in increased Notch stimulation in those cells leading to feedback pathways involving transcription factors Enhancer-Of-Split and Suppressor-of-hairless. These transcription factors down regulate proneural genes such as Achaete and Schute as well as Delta in neighbouring cells. Neighbouring cells are thus cannot become neuroblasts and instead become epidermis.