title: Proliferon: the functional unit of rapidly proliferating organs.
abstract: Continuously replicating organs are generally composed of several cell population types. These may be divided according to their function into two classes: 1. parenchyma: cells destined to perform a certain metabolic function peculiar to the organ under study, 2. supporting cell populations, consisting of fibroblasts and vascular supply always accompanied by nerve fibers. The kinetics of all the cells are highly coordinated. They all share one progenitor region. It is postulated that in this common progenitor region the two cell population classes are assembled into complex units denominated as proliferons. The proliferon starts its existence as a whole, matures as a whole and disintegrates at the organ periphery. It consists of four basic elements: parenchyma, connective tissue, blood vessels and nerve fibers. This model has been previously called upon to describe the kinetics of the rodent incisor tooth and the intestinal mucosa. It is assumed to be the elementary functional unit of all rapidly proliferating organs such as: skin, hair, endometrium, bone marrow, intestinal mucosa and rodent incisor.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D004627:Embryonic Induction; D004717:Endometrium / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006834:Hydrazines / Q000009:adverse effects; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena
chemical_list: D006834:Hydrazines