One of the greatest challenges in developmental biology is to understand how shape and size are controlled during development. Interactions between growth and pattern formation mechanisms are key drivers of morphogenesis but are difficult to study experimentally because of the highly dynamic nature of development in space and time. Here (), Anne-Gaëlle Rolland-Lagan and co-workers use simulation modelling to explore how mobile signals, such as morphogens, might coordinate growth and patterning during zebrafish caudal fin development and regeneration. The zebrafish fin comprises 16 to 18 bony rays, each of which contains multiple joints along its proximodistal axis that give rise to segments. The researchers propose a model in which the interaction of three postulated morphogens can account for the available experimental data on fin growth and joint patterning and for the regeneration of a properly shaped fin following amputation. This simple, plausible model provides a theoretical framework that could guide future searches for the molecular regulators of fin growth and regeneration.
