In a process termed lateral inhibition, nascent neurons via expression of Notch ligands are thought to suppress neuronal development of adjacent cells. It has recently been shown, however, that expression of the Notch ligands, as well as the proneural transcription factors that induce them, and the Notch effector Hes1 oscillate with a period of a few hours. This dynamic expression pattern is incompatible with the notion of lateral inhibition and demands a new understanding of how all-over oscillatory expression patterns are converted to localized and persistent signaling.
- Ryoichiro Kageyama
- Toshiyuki Ohtsuka
- Itaru Imayoshi
