Computer simulation of organogenesis: An approach to the analysis of shape changes in epithelial organs☆

摘要

Embryonicdevelopmentofepithelialorganprimordiaofteninvolveschangesinseveralparameters,suchascellheight,cellwidth,cellvolume,amountofextracellularspace,andcellnumber.Sincethesechangesoftenoccursimultaneously,itbecomesdifficulttoa€?separateouta€?therolethateachplaysinthedevelopmentalprocess.Acomputerprogramhasbeenwrittenthatallowstheshapeofepithelialorganstobereproducedbaseduponmeasurementsoftheprimordium.Adevelopmentalsequencecanbesimulatedbychangingthedimensionsoftheprimordiumbaseduponeithermeasurementsofthedevelopmentalstagesortheoreticalprojectionsofchanges.Theprimordiumisdividedintoblocksrepresentinggroupsofcells,baseduponcharacteristicsofthedifferentcellgroups.Theprogramallowsdifferencesincellheightandcircularandspiralcurvaturesoftheprimordiumtobesimulated.Analysisoftheopticprimordiumusingthismethodhasallowedrecognitionofseveralregionalchangesduringopticcupformation.Thesearesequentialconstrictionofcellapicesatthemarginoftheopticcup,expansionoftheapicalsurfacetowardthecenteroftheretinaldisc,andspreadingofthefuturepigmentedlayer.Simulationofotherorganspermitsregionsofmorphogeneticactivitytobeidentified.