TGF b model 2010.PDF (1.21 MB)
Download fileDevelopment of a three dimensional multiscale computational model of the human epidermis
journal contribution
posted on 2017-05-12, 11:03 authored by Salem Adra, Tao SunTao Sun, Sheila MacNeil, Mike Holcombe, Rod SmallwoodTransforming Growth Factor (TGF-b1) is a member of the TGF-beta superfamily ligand-receptor network. and plays a crucial
role in tissue regeneration. The extensive in vitro and in vivo experimental literature describing its actions nevertheless
describe an apparent paradox in that during re-epithelialisation it acts as proliferation inhibitor for keratinocytes. The
majority of biological models focus on certain aspects of TGF-b1 behaviour and no one model provides a comprehensive
story of this regulatory factor’s action. Accordingly our aim was to develop a computational model to act as a
complementary approach to improve our understanding of TGF-b1. In our previous study, an agent-based model of
keratinocyte colony formation in 2D culture was developed. In this study this model was extensively developed into a three
dimensional multiscale model of the human epidermis which is comprised of three interacting and integrated layers: (1) an
agent-based model which captures the biological rules governing the cells in the human epidermis at the cellular level and
includes the rules for injury induced emergent behaviours, (2) a COmplex PAthway SImulator (COPASI) model which
simulates the expression and signalling of TGF-b1 at the sub-cellular level and (3) a mechanical layer embodied by a
numerical physical solver responsible for resolving the forces exerted between cells at the multi-cellular level. The integrated
model was initially validated by using it to grow a piece of virtual epidermis in 3D and comparing the in virtuo simulations of
keratinocyte behaviour and of TGF-b1 signalling with the extensive research literature describing this key regulatory protein.
This research reinforces the idea that computational modelling can be an effective additional tool to aid our understanding
of complex systems. In the accompanying paper the model is used to explore hypotheses of the functions of TGF-b1 at the
cellular and subcellular level on different keratinocyte populations during epidermal wound healing.
Funding
This work is part of the Epitheliome Project, which is funded by the Engineering and Physical Siences Research Council United Kingdom through two grants, one to the University of Sheffield (GR/S62321/01), and the other to the University of York (GR/S62338/01).
History
School
- Aeronautical, Automotive, Chemical and Materials Engineering
Department
- Chemical Engineering
Published in
PLoS ONEVolume
5Issue
1Pages
e8511 - e8511Citation
ADRA, S. ... et al, 2010. Development of a three dimensional multiscale computational model of the human epidermis. PLoS ONE, 5 (1), e8511Publisher
Public Library of Science (© 2010 Adra et al.)Version
- VoR (Version of Record)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2010Notes
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.eISSN
1932-6203Publisher version
Language
- en