Endocytosis as a stabilizing mechanism for tissue homeostasis

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1714377115
• Publication Date: 2018-02-08T11:16:14Z
• Authors: Miri Adler; Avi Mayo; Xu Zhou; Ruth A. Franklin; Jeremy B. Jacox; Ruslan Medzhitov; Uri Alon
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; PNAS Plus; Cells; Homeostasis; Models, Theoretical; Models, Biological; Endocytosis; Cell Physiological Phenomena

SignificanceMany tissues in the body constantly turn over as cells divide and are replaced within weeks. Despite this turnover, tissues are able to keep proper ratios of their different cell types. How tissues attain this balance, called homeostasis, is unclear. Here we show that homeostasis can be achieved by circuits of cells that signal to each other using diffusible signals. A key negative feedback loop that stabilizes these circuits is endocytosis, a common feature of biological signaling in which a cell takes up and degrades the signal molecule that makes it divide and survive. Thus, the more of that cell type the less its numbers increase.