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Keeping in Shape
22 May 2013

Keeping in Shape

Stretch your skin and it springs back to shape – a property also possessed by the lining of your throat, inner ear, blood vessels and many other body parts. This springy tension is due to each surface cell having a tiny belt, formed by the proteins myosin and actin, wrapped around it, rather like an elastic band. Scientists have discovered that these belts are interlinked so that their stretching and squeezing actions spread like waves through the millions of cells, controlling the shape and movement of the surface (epithelial) tissue. Pictured (bottom) is a normal arrangement of surface cells of a rat’s intestine, with actin stained red and cell boundaries green. When myosin is chemically deactivated, the protein belts stop working, causing the cells to drift apart (top).

Written by Mick Warwicker

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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