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As the embryo develops, tissues bend into complex three-dimensional shapes that lead to organs. The epithelial cells are the building blocks of this process forming, for example, the outer layer of the skin. They also line the blood vessels and organs of all animals.
These cells cluster closely. To accommodate the curvature that occurs during embryonic development, it has been assumed that the epithelial cells adopt cylindrical or bottle-like shapes.
However, a group of scientists deepened this phenomenon and discovered a new geometric form.
They found that during tissue flexion, epithelial cells adopt a form not previously described that allows cells to minimize energy use and maximize package stability. . The results of the team will be published in Nature Communications in a paper entitled "Scoops are a geometric solution to the three-dimensional packaging of the epithelium."
The study is the result of a collaboration between the United States and the European Union between the teams of Luis M. Escudero (University of Seville, Spain) and that of Javier Buceta ( University of Lehigh, USA). Pedro Gomez-Galvez and Pablo Vicente-Munuera are the first authors of this work, which also includes scientists from the Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology, and the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology, among others.
Buceta and his colleagues made the discovery through computational modeling that used Voronoi diagramming, a tool used in a number of areas to understand geometric organization.
"During the modeling process, the results we saw were weird," says Buceta. "Our model predicted that the curvature of the fabric was increasing, that the columns and the shapes of bottles were not the only forms that the cells could develop, to our surprise, the extra shape did not even have any name in mathematics!
The group named the new form "scutoid", for its resemblance to the scutellum – the posterior part of a thorax or mid-section of the insect.
To verify the predictions of the model, the group studied the three-dimensional packaging of different tissues in different animals. Experimental data confirmed that epithelial cells adopt three-dimensional shapes and stacking patterns similar to those predicted by the computer model
Using biophysical approaches, the team argues that scoids stabilize the 39; three-dimensional packaging and make it energy efficient. As Buceta puts it: "We have unlocked the solution of nature to obtain an effective epithelial curvature."
Their discoveries could pave the way for understanding the three-dimensional organization of epithelial organs and lead to advances in tissue engineering. In addition to this fundamental aspect of morphogenesis, "they write, the ability to conceive of tissues and organs in the future relies primarily on the ability to understand and then control the 3D organization of cells. "
Buceta adds: For example, if you are looking to grow artificial organs, this discovery could help you build a scaffold to encourage this type of cell packaging, faithfully reproducing the natural way of effectively developing the tissues. "
Story Source:
Lehigh University . Note: Content may change in style and length.
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