Honda H, Oshibe S
J Theor Biol. 1984 Dec 21;111(4):625-33. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5193(84)80258-1.
The method of even stacking of epidermal cells in mammalian skin was studied by computer simulation. The epidermis consists of neat vertical columns of stacked, flattened, tetrakaidecahedral cells. Cells which have been proliferated in a basal layer migrate upwards, occupy the bottom regions of vertical columns, and become members constituting columns. Computer simulations demonstrated that the column height becomes considerably varied if the cells are randomly supplied from the basal layer. In contrast, if the cells are assumed to have an ability to find the uppermost region among the column's bases consisting of one base where the cell has reached and its neighbouring bases, the cells stack into columns whose heights are remarkably uniform even if the cells are randomly supplied. The results indicated that an epidermal structure consisting of the flattened polyhedral cells could itself function as a control mechanism of the epidermal thickness.
通过计算机模拟研究了哺乳动物皮肤中表皮细胞均匀堆叠的方法。表皮由整齐垂直排列的堆叠扁平十四面体的细胞柱组成。在基底层增殖的细胞向上迁移，占据垂直细胞柱的底部区域，并成为构成细胞柱的成员。计算机模拟表明，如果细胞从基底层随机供应，细胞柱的高度会有很大变化。相反，如果假设细胞有能力在由一个细胞到达的底部及其相邻底部组成的细胞柱底部中找到最上层区域，那么即使细胞是随机供应的，细胞也会堆叠成高度非常均匀的细胞柱。结果表明，由扁平多面体组成的表皮结构本身可以作为表皮厚度的控制机制。
