Alan Turing's Mechanism Linked To Generation of Fingers and Toes

A new research has found that Alan Turing's Mathematical Mechanism is responsible for generating fingers and toes.

Science Daily reports that Dr. Marie Kmita and her research team combined genetic studies with mathematical modeling, which provided experimental evidence supporting a theoretical model for pattern formation known as the Turing mechanism.

"The Turing model for pattern formation has long remained under debate, mostly due to the lack of experimental data supporting it," explains Dr. Rushikesh Sheth, postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Kmita's laboratory and co-first author of the study. "By studying the role of Hox genes during limb development, we were able to show, for the first time, that the patterning process that generates our fingers and toes relies on a Turing-like mechanism."

In humans, development of the embryo is controlled partially by genes known as Hox genes. These genes play an important role in the positioning of the body parts and define the functions of cells present in the body organs.

"Our genetic study suggested that Hox genes act as modulators of a Turing-like mechanism, which was further supported by mathematical tests performed by our collaborators, Dr. James Sharpe and his team," adds Dr. Kmita, director of the Genetics and Development research unit at the IRCM. "Moreover, we showed that drastically reducing the dose of Hox genes in mice transforms fingers into structures reminiscent of the extremities of fish fins. These findings further support the key role of Hox genes in the transition of fins to limbs during evolution, one of the most important anatomical innovations associated with the transition from aquatic to terrestrial life."

Their findings were published in the journal Science.