Scientists trace molecular origin of proportional d...(coid gradient so precise or is it really...)

"Instead of discounting the variability of the Bicoid gradient among different embryos, we found this noise to be an advantage of the system," said Dr. Ma, also a professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. "The amount of Bicoid going to small and large embryos all self corrects, so the system is built to be very robust and precise so different cells can be told to become part of the head, or part of something else, in a proportionate manner."

Besides conducting staining and imaging tests on normal wild-type embryos to test their hypothesis, Dr.Ma's team also studied Bicoid and Hunchback expression in embryos from genetically altered, mutant (staufen) female fruit flies. They found Bicoid could not form a precise and scaled gradient in embryos from these mutant females, which, they concluded, contributed to additional Hunchback variations and disproportionate development.

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