Professor Tomomi Nemoto and his colleagues at the Institute of Electronic Science, Hokkaido University have succeeded in observing cell division that maintains the epidermis, and found that the thicker the skin, the more frequently diagonal cell division occurs.Even in humans, the epidermis of the earlobe is very thin, but the soles of the feet are thick, which can be explained by cell division in the diagonal direction.
According to Hokkaido University, Professor Nemoto et al. Established a method to image the deep structure and cell division of the skin of living mice by utilizing the latest laser microscopy technology, and analyzed the structure of the skin in various parts of the body in three dimensions. I succeeded in doing it.
When observing mice using this method, the direction of cell division was almost parallel to the basement membrane in the thin-skinned ears and back, whereas many cells in the thick-skinned soles and tails divided diagonally. It turned out.
Furthermore, as a result of three-dimensional analysis of the division direction, it was clarified that there is a correlation between the thickness of the epidermis and the frequency of division in the diagonal direction.Professor Nemoto and colleagues believe that diagonal division is likely to play an important role in maintaining skin thickness.
The epidermis of the skin is the cornerstone of the biological defense function, and only the basal cells are dividing.The cells that were born gradually moved to the surface and eventually peeled off, but the mechanism that made the difference in thickness depending on the part of the body was unknown.
Furthermore, by using this method, it is possible to observe for a long time without damaging the living body.By observing mice with skin cancer and other skin diseases, it may be possible to deepen the understanding of the biological defense function and apply it to elucidation of the disease and establishment of treatment methods.
