Fig 8

Schematic illustration for rapid initial convergence improves pattern robustness by comparing with slow initial convergence (A) Gene regulation/cell fate: rapid initial convergence produces a steeper RA distribution to induce more cells switching from r4 (red) to r5 (blue) identity than slow initial convergence. Consequently, r5 has similar size with r3, consistent with the experimental measurements. (B) Cell sorting: rapid initial convergence increases cell-cell contacts to enhance efficiency of cell sorting, leading to sharper boundaries comparing to slow initial convergence. Number of green lines represent efficiency of cell sorting. (C-C’) Synergy between cell sorting and gene regulation: rapid initial convergence induces an early peak of morphogens for both RA and FGF, leading to an early commitment of cell fates. Cell sorting mechanisms fully function to sharpen boundaries with sufficient time without disrupting cell fate switching.