Kinetics of the maintenance of the epidermis
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2013

The epidermis is the outermost layer of skin. It is comprised of keratin-containing cells called keratinocytes. Functionally, the epidermis serves as a physical barrier that can prevent infection and regulate body hydration. Maintenance and repair of the epidermis are important for human health. Mechanistically, these processes occur primarily via proliferation and differentiation of stem cells located in the basal monolayer. These processes are believed to depend on cell-cell communication and spatial constraints but existing kinetic models focus mainly on proliferation and differentiation. To address this issue, we present a mean-field kinetic model that takes these additional factors into account and describes the epidermis at a biosystem level. The corresponding equations operate with the populations of stem cells and differentiated cells in the basal layer. The keratinocytes located above the basal layer are treated at a more coarse-grained level by considering the thickness of the epidermis. The model clarifies the likely role of various negative feedbacks that may control the epidermis and, accordingly, provides insight into the cellular mechanisms underlying complex biological phenomena such as wound healing.

strategies

biological kinetics

stem cells

skin epidermis

gradient

models

ensemble

communication

systems biology

cell-cell communication

differentiated cells

pluripotent stem-cell

growth

morphogenesis

proliferation

Författare

Vladimir Zhdanov

Chalmers, Teknisk fysik, Biologisk fysik

N. J. Cho

Nanyang Technological University

Central European Journal of Physics

1895-1082 (ISSN) 1644-3608 (eISSN)

Vol. 11 8 1016-1023

Ämneskategorier

Fysik

Annan samhällsbyggnadsteknik

DOI

10.2478/s11534-013-0292-3

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2023-09-07