Chapter 2 Outline

Levels of Commitment

Autonomous Specification

• Cytoplasmic determinants and autonomous specification in the tunicate

Conditional Specification

• Position matters: Conditional specification in the sea urchin embryo
• It depends on how you slice it: Specification in the plant embryo

Syncytial Specification

• Opposing gradients define axial position
• Differentially specifying all the nuclei in the room

Mapping Cell Maturation