  We propose a compartmental lateral inhibition system that generates
contrasting patterns of gene expression between neighboring compartments. The
system consists of a set of compartments interconnected by channels. Each
compartment contains a colony of cells that produce diffusible molecules to be
detected by the neighboring colony, and each cell is equipped with an
inhibitory circuit that reduces its production when the detected signal is
stronger. We develop a technique to analyze the steady-state patterns emerging
from this lateral inhibition system and apply it to a specific implementation.
The analysis shows that the proposed system indeed exhibits contrasting
patterns within realistic parameter ranges.
