Are there any developmental systems (Drosophila?) in which we know the actual # of ligand molecules, and # of receptors, for a specific developmental signal? I want to know if there are cases where cells have to literally compete for morphogens (where signal molecules are limiting, not in excess).
Hi Mike,
perhaps you will find the 1998 Cell paper on the Activin morphogen gradient by the Gurdon lab helpful. They pretty neatly quantify receptor occupancy and downstream transcriptional signal. Although of course the biological relevance of this particular gradient inside the embryo has been questioned.
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(00)81185-X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS009286740081185X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
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