The spatial distribution of pancreatic islets follows a universal power law.
In a previous report we quantified the apparently complex and irregular distribution of pancreatic islets in the guinea pig by showing that they formed a set of cluster or correlation dimension approximately 2.5. Here we show that this distribution holds in a wide range of mammalian species and through ontogenetic development in the guinea pig. These results strongly suggest that islet formation follows an iterative or fractal rule which is universal among mammals.
Schneider
B S
BS
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New Hyde Park, New York 11042, USA.
Hastings
H M
HM
Maytal
G
G
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D004285:Dogs; D006041:Goats; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008322:Mammals; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D051381:Rats; D013045:Species Specificity