Epidermal tissue homeostasis. I. Cell pool size, cell birth rate and cell loss by moulting in the intact toad, Bufo bufo.

Toad epidermis is a suitable model for studies on tissue homeostasis because cell pool size, influx into and efflux from the cell pool can be easily determined. The cell pool size was obtained by cell counting on photomicrographs, the influx (cell birth rate) was assessed by the metaphase-arrest technique, and the efflux (cell loss by moulting) assessed by counting the number of cells in the corneal layer and recording of intermoult periods. The importance of the methods for assessing these parameters per square unit of skin surface is emphasized. These parameters were studied in eight groups of ten adult male toads sacrificed at various hours of the day. There were minor variations in the cell birth rate, fluctuating around a mean of 26 cells/mm2/hr (obtained at the metaphase collection period from 11.00-14.00 hours). By summation of the cell productions during the eight metaphase collection periods of 3 hr, and extrapolation to an intermoult period (time between two moults), a calculated cell production of about 6340 cells/mm2 in 10.3 days was obtained, whereas the cell loss at each moult was only 2370 cells/mm2. Thus the cell production rate exceeds the rate of cell loss through moults by a factor of 2.7 Arguments are presented that the 'surplus' of cells produced cannot be permanently accommodated within the living epidermis. Consequently a cell deletion rate beyond that by moulting of about 4000 cells/mm2 in 10.3 days or 16 cells/mm2/hr can be calculated. These results are discussed in relation to current concepts of tissue homeostatic mechanism(s). The results are consistent with the hypothesis that controlled cell deletion may be a tissue homeostatic mechanism complementary to controlled cell divisions.