Interplay between epidermal stem cell dynamics and dermal deformations

Abstract: We introduce a particle-based model of self-replicating cells on a deformable substrate composed of the dermis and the basement membrane and investigate the relationship between dermal deformations and stem cell pattering on it. We show that our model reproduces the formation of dermal papillae, protuberances directing from the dermis to the epidermis, and the preferential stem cell distributions on the tips of the dermal papillae, which the basic buckling mechanism fails to explain. We argue that cell-type-dependent adhesion strength of the cells to the basement membrane is crucial factors of these patterns.