{
  "abstract": "While scaling developmental processes is fundamental to maintaining robust tissue patterning, the mechanisms underlying this process are enigmatic. Somitogenesis, the periodic segmentation of growing mesodermal tissue in vertebrate embryos 1 , involves precise scaling with the unsegmented presomitic mesoderm (PSM) over developmental time and under perturbation 2–4 . Somitogenesis is spatiotemporally regulated by FGF and Wnt morphogen gradients and the segmentation clock — oscillations in Notch, Wnt, and FGF signalling 5–7 . Here, we find that cell proliferation is distributed throughout the oscillating PSM. Long-term single-cell tracking in mouse embryo tails uncovered a correlation between cell cycle progression and the segmentation clock, with microfluidics-based entrainment indicating coupling between the cell cycle and signalling oscillations, likely through S-phase inducing Cyclins. A theoretical model suggests this coupling ensures uniform PSM growth, uniform morphogen dilution and precise somite formation, which we validated experimentally by blocking cell proliferation. Our findings reveal that coupling cell proliferation to signalling oscillations is crucial for robust somitogenesis and precise somite scaling.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Hubrecht Institute-KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands",
    "Hubrecht Institute",
    "Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK; Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria",
    "University of Cambridge, IST Austria",
    "University of Cambridge",
    "UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK",
    "Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK; Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QN, UK; Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK",
    "Hubrecht Institute-KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences), University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: k.sonnen@hubrecht.eu"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Marek J. van Oostrom",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-3577-6155"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Yuting I. Li",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0239-1589"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wilke H. M. Meijer",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3962-2854"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tomas E. J. C. Noordzij",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-9965-1622"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Charis Fountas",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-9572-1502"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Erika Timmers"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jeroen Korving"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Wouter M. Thomas",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-9871-5016"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Dimitri Fabrèges",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6603-1510"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        5,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Andrew J. Copp"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6
      ],
      "name": "Benjamin D. Simons",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3875-7071"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        7
      ],
      "name": "Katharina F. Sonnen",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2902-9419"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6cxx7smvyybty.bib",
  "cited_by": 10,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.devcel.2026.10.005",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "6cxx7smvyybty",
  "issns": [
    "1534-5807",
    "1878-1551"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2026.10.005",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W4406279012",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": "42976858",
  "published": "2026-11-01",
  "publisher": "Elsevier BV",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6cxx7smvyybty.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T13:21:07Z",
      "native_id": "W4406279012",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2026.10.005"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biochemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:1312|Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation",
      "subfield": "molecular-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Coupling of cell proliferation to the segmentation clock promotes robust somite scaling",
  "title_text": "Coupling of cell proliferation to the segmentation clock promotes robust somite scaling",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:07Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6cxx7smvyybty",
  "venue": "Developmental Cell",
  "versions": []
}