Abstract
Organ culture explants adapt to conditions in vitro by forming “figures of equilibrium” with their environment (conformations of minimal surface energy). We propose that explant “morphogenesis” during in vitro adaptation is a function of in vivo tissue organization and lines of tension. In this report, we used a Mcllwain tissue chopper to prepare 1mm x 20mm strips of newborn rat dorsal skin and compared the figures of equilibrium obtained from perpendicularly oriented sections. Transversely cut strips remained extended or formed gentle “u's” in culture. Sagittal strips, however, rapidly formed helices of opposite handedness in serum free Waymouth's media. Measurements of 18 sagittal strips from newborn (day 0) pups are shown:The number of coils was stable for 24h in culture. In 3-day-old rat pups, mean coil number was 2.5 + 0.2 (N=30).Conclusions: 1) In the newborn rat, sagittal skin strips form helices in vitro which retain their in vivo chirality; 2) sagittal helices are conical rather than cylindrical with the tightest coil located at the caudal end; 3) helix formation is stable for 24h in vitro; 4) the number of coils formed per sagittal centimeter of skin decreases rapidly after birth.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
