[Structural-functional units of epidermis].
The available data suggest that epidermis is organized in discrete structural and functional units (SFUs) reproduced both in vivo and in vitro. SFUs are formed in a culture of epidermal keratinocytes by self-organization of the forming cellular elements. SFUs are capable of self-sustaining and form a niche for the stem cells. At the same time, due to the maintained asymmetric kinetics of the stem cell proliferation, SFUs serve as a barrier for their uncontrolled replication.
Kol'tsov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Vavilova 26, Moscow, 119991 Russia. ters@proxima.idb.ac.ru
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Voroteliak
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology