Scientists from Russia and France have uncovered a universal principle that explains the structural organization of living tissues, ranging from human skin to coral colonies. The researchers believe this discovery will significantly advance our understanding of wound healing mechanisms. The findings have been published in the journal Physical Review Research, according to information from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF).
Epithelial tissues, which form the skin, intestinal linings, and other organ coverings, are composed of tightly packed cells, often resembling polygons. Previous research established that cells in healthy epithelial tissues across various animal and plant species adhere to a consistent, energy-efficient arrangement, characterized by a specific number of faces and neighbors.
However, it remained unclear whether this organizational principle extended to more complex structures, such as coral colonies, which are made up of thousands of tiny organisms called polyps.
Researchers from Southern Federal University (Rostov-on-Don, Russia) and the University of Montpellier (France) embarked on a comparative study, examining the cellular structure of epithelia against the arrangement of individual polyps within coral colonies.
Using a confocal microscope, a device capable of producing high-resolution, high-contrast images, the scientists investigated the arrangement of cells in human cervical epithelium and monkey kidney tissue. Microcomputed tomography was employed to obtain thousands of digital images of coral colonies from the Faviidae, Merulinidae, and Montastraeidae families. For each polyp, the researchers determined the number of its nearest neighbors and the area it occupied.
Remarkably, the distribution of polyps by the number of their neighbors in all studied coral species almost perfectly matched that observed in epithelial cells. Specifically, the majority of structural elements (43–51 percent) had six neighbors, 25–27 percent had five, and smaller proportions had four, seven, eight, or nine neighbors.
To explain this consistent distribution, the scientists developed a computer model. This model posits that both cells and polyps behave like particles that repel each other when too close but cease to interact at greater distances.
According to the study`s authors, this new model holds significant potential for enhancing our comprehension of tissue development and wound healing processes, as well as for ecological assessments of coral reef health and various biomedical applications.
“Biological systems, despite their vast differences in organizational complexity, utilize a simple and universal physical principle to construct their structures. This knowledge is crucial for understanding tissue regeneration and development, particularly within regenerative medicine,” stated Sergey Roshal, the project lead and professor at the Southern Federal University`s Department of Nanotechnology, whose remarks were cited in the report.
He added that these principles could also be used to predict how coral reefs, currently threatened by climate change and marine pollution, might respond to environmental shifts. Currently, the French collaborators of the Southern Federal University are using microcomputed tomography to study fossil coral samples.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth