Chuong C M, Dhouailly D, Gilmore S, Forest L, Shelley W B, Stenn K S, Maini P, Michon F, Parimoo S, Cadau S, Demongeot J, Zheng Y, Paus R, Happle R
Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern Califronia, Los Angeles, USA.
Exp Dermatol. 2006 Jul;15(7):547-64. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0625.2006.00448_1.x.
Pattern recognition is at the heart of clinical dermatology and dermatopathology. Yet, while every practitioner of the art of dermatological diagnosis recognizes the supreme value of diagnostic cues provided by defined patterns of 'efflorescences', few contemplate on the biological basis of pattern formation in and of skin lesions. Vice versa, developmental and theoretical biologists, who would be best prepared to study skin lesion patterns, are lamentably slow to discover this field as a uniquely instructive testing ground for probing theoretical concepts on pattern generation in the human system. As a result, we have at best scraped the surface of understanding the biological basis of pattern formation of skin lesions, and widely open questions dominate over definitive answer. As a symmetry-breaking force, pattern formation represents one of the most fundamental principles that nature enlists for system organization. Thus, the peculiar and often characteristic arrangements that skin lesions display provide a unique opportunity to reflect upon--and to experimentally dissect--the powerful organizing principles at the crossroads of developmental, skin and theoretical biology, genetics, and clinical dermatology that underlie these--increasingly less enigmatic--phenomena. The current 'Controversies' feature offers a range of different perspectives on how pattern formation of skin lesions can be approached. With this, we hope to encourage more systematic interdisciplinary research efforts geared at unraveling the many unsolved, yet utterly fascinating mysteries of dermatological pattern formation. In short: never a dull pattern!
模式识别是临床皮肤科和皮肤病理学的核心。然而，虽然每位皮肤科诊断领域的从业者都认识到由明确的“皮疹”模式所提供的诊断线索具有至高价值，但很少有人思考皮肤病变中模式形成的生物学基础。反之，发育生物学和理论生物学领域的专家最有条件研究皮肤病变模式，遗憾的是，他们很晚才发现这个领域是检验人类系统中模式生成理论概念的独特且具启发性的试验场。因此，我们对皮肤病变模式形成的生物学基础的理解充其量只是触及皮毛，众多悬而未决的问题占据主导，尚无定论。作为一种打破对称性的力量，模式形成是自然界用于系统组织的最基本原理之一。因此，皮肤病变所呈现的独特且往往具有特征性的排列提供了一个独特的契机，来思考并通过实验剖析发育生物学、皮肤生物学、理论生物学、遗传学和临床皮肤科交叉领域中强大的组织原理，这些原理构成了这些（日益不再神秘的）现象的基础。当前的“争议”专题提供了一系列关于如何研究皮肤病变模式形成的不同视角。借此，我们希望鼓励开展更系统的跨学科研究工作，以解开皮肤模式形成中诸多尚未解决但却极其迷人的谜团。简而言之：模式从不乏味！
