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Epidermal cell turnover across tight junctions based on Kelvin's tetrakaidecahedron cell shape
- Source :
- eLife, eLife, Vol 5 (2016)
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- eLife Sciences Publications, 2016.
-
Abstract
- In multicellular organisms, cells adopt various shapes, from flattened sheets of endothelium to dendritic neurons, that allow the cells to function effectively. Here, we elucidated the unique shape of cells in the cornified stratified epithelia of the mammalian epidermis that allows them to achieve homeostasis of the tight junction (TJ) barrier. Using intimate in vivo 3D imaging, we found that the basic shape of TJ-bearing cells is a flattened Kelvin's tetrakaidecahedron (f-TKD), an optimal shape for filling space. In vivo live imaging further elucidated the dynamic replacement of TJs on the edges of f-TKD cells that enables the TJ-bearing cells to translocate across the TJ barrier. We propose a spatiotemporal orchestration model of f-TKD cell turnover, where in the classic context of 'form follows function', cell shape provides a fundamental basis for the barrier homeostasis and physical strength of cornified stratified epithelia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19593.001<br />eLife digest The skin surface – known as the epidermis – is made up of sheets of cells that are stacked up in layers. One of the roles of the skin is to provide a protective barrier that limits what leaks into or out of the body. A particular layer of the epidermis – referred to as the stratum granulosum – is primarily responsible for forming this barrier. The cells in this layer are sealed together in a zipper-like fashion by structures known as tight junctions. New skin cells are continuously produced in the lowest cell layers of the epidermis, and move upwards to integrate into the stratum granulosum layer to replace old cells (which also move upwards to leave the layer). How stratum granulosum cells are replaced without disrupting the tight junction barrier was not well understood. Yokouchi et al. used a technique called confocal microscopy to examine the stratum granulosum cells in the ears of mice, and found that the shape of these cells forms the basis of the barrier that they form. These cells resemble a flattened version of a shape called Kelvin’s tetrakaidecahedron: a 14-sided solid with six rectangular and eight hexagonal sides. This structure was proposed by Lord Kelvin in 1887 to be the best shape for filling space. Tight junctions are present on the edges of the flattened Kelvin’s tetrakaidecahedron. Further experiments revealed that the tight junctions move from cell to cell in a spatiotemporally-coordinated manner in order to maintain a continuous barrier throughout the stratum granulosum as cells are replaced. A newly formed stratum granulosum cell appears beneath the cell that it will replace. The shape of these cells enables a new barrier of three-way tight junction contacts to form between them and the neighboring cells in the stratum granulosum. After this barrier has formed, the upper cell leaves the stratum granulosum. Future research could address how cells adopt the flattened Kelvin’s tetrakaidecahedron shape, and discover why tight junctions only form in one layer of the epidermis. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19593.002
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Keratinocytes
Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics
Intravital Microscopy
tight junction
cell biology
Biology (General)
Tissue homeostasis
Barrier function
ARCHITECTURE
Tight junction
epidermal barrier
MAMMALIAN EPIDERMIS
General Neuroscience
STRATUM-CORNEUM
EPITHELIAL-CELLS
General Medicine
Cell biology
Medicine
Stem cell
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Research Article
tissue homeostasis
QH301-705.5
Science
ORDERED STRUCTURE
Context (language use)
ORGANIZATION
Biology
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Tight Junctions
03 medical and health sciences
developmental biology
Imaging, Three-Dimensional
Live cell imaging
stem cells
Animals
Regeneration
CLAUDIN-1-DEFICIENT MICE
Cell Shape
mouse
Science & Technology
General Immunology and Microbiology
Epidermis (botany)
DYSFUNCTION
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Multicellular organism
030104 developmental biology
Developmental Biology and Stem Cells
Epidermal Cells
BARRIER FUNCTION
Epidermis
SKIN
Subjects
Details
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- eLife, eLife, Vol 5 (2016)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....836f3338ba758b14fa1ad86d5ef37f52