Mitotic Wave Propagation via Pacemaker Synchronization in Early Embryogenesis

Synchronization drives early embryonic development, enabling simultaneous cell divisions and spatial organization within the embryo. In organisms like Xenopus, Drosophila, and Zebrafish, mitotic waves coordinate cell cycles across distances beyond diffusion limits. While a chemical oscillator is known to regulate these waves, recent findings show that slowing the cell cycle induces chaotic cytoplasmic flows, raising questions about the oscillator's role in mitotic wave formation and turbulence. Using molecular dynamic simulations of soft, dividing particles, we model this behavior in cytoplasmic extract, introducing Kuramoto-like coupling to generate phase waves. Our results, validated against experiments in cycling cytoplasmic extract, quantitatively confirm that cell cycle propagation arises from the synchronization of centrosome and nucleus pacemakers, shedding new light on the dynamics of cellular synchronization.