Abstract
We study theoretically the shapes of a dividing epithelial monolayer of cells lying on top of an elastic stroma. The negative tension created by cell division provokes a buckling instability at a finite wave vector leading to the formation of periodic arrays of villi and crypts. The instability is similar to the buckling of a metallic plate under compression. We use the results to rationalize the various structures of the intestinal lining observed in vivo. Taking into account the coupling between cell division and local curvature, we obtain different patterns of villi and crypts, which could explain the different morphologies of the small intestine and the colon.
- Received 25 April 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.078104
© 2011 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Know when to fold ‘em
Published 11 August 2011
Corrugations found along the intestine’s inner wall reflect both a mechanical buckling and the constant birth and death of cells, theorists suggest.
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