A Clock and Wavefront Self-Organizing Model Recreates the Dynamics of Mouse Somitogenesis in-vivo and in-vitro

During mouse development, presomitic mesoderm cells synchronize Wnt and Notch oscillations, creating sequential phase waves that pattern somites. Traditional somitogenesis models attribute phase waves to global signals that control the frequency of oscillations. However, increasing evidence suggests that they could arise in a self-organizing manner. Here, we introduce the Sevilletor, a novel reaction-diffusion system that serves as a framework to compare different somitogenesis patterning hypotheses. Using this framework, we propose the Clock and Wavefront Self-Organizing model, the first somitogenesis model that generates phase waves via local cell to cell communication independent of global frequency gradients. The model recapitulates the change in relative phase of Wnt and Notch observed during mouse somitogenesis and the formation of multiple phase waves observed upon ectopic expansion of posterior signals. Moreover, it provides a theoretical basis for understanding the excitability of mouse presomitic mesoderm cells observed in vitro.