Journal article
The fractal geometry of bronchial trees differs by strain in mice
Journal of applied physiology (1985), Vol.128(2), pp.362-367
02/01/2020
DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00838.2019
PMCID: PMC7052590
PMID: 31917627
Abstract
Fractal biological structures are pervasive throughout the plant and animal kingdoms, with the mammalian lung being a quintessential example. The lung airway and vascular trees are generated during embryogenesis from a small set of building codes similar to Turing mechanisms that create robust trees ideally suited to their functions. Whereas the blood flow pattern generated by these fractal trees has been shown to be genetically determined, the geometry of the trees has not. We explored a newly established repository providing high-resolution bronchial trees from the four most commonly studied laboratory mice (B6C3F1, BALB/c, C57BL/6 and CD-1). The data fit a fractal model well for all animals with the fractal dimensions ranging from 1.54 to 1.67, indicating that the conducting airway of mice can be considered a self-similar and space-filling structure. We determined that the fractal dimensions of these airway trees differed by strain but not sex, reinforcing the concept that airway branching patterns are encoded within the DNA. The observations also highlight that future study design and interpretations may need to consider differences in airway geometry between mouse strains.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY
Similar to larger mammals such as humans, the geometries of the bronchial tree in mice are fractal structures that have repeating patterns from the trachea to the terminal branches. The airway geometries of the four most commonly studied mice are different and need to be considered when comparing results that employ different mouse strains. This variability in mouse airway geometries should be incorporated into computer models exploring toxicology and aerosol deposition in mouse models.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The fractal geometry of bronchial trees differs by strain in mice
- Creators
- Robb W Glenny - University of WashingtonMelissa Krueger - University of WashingtonChristian Bauer - University of IowaReinhard R Beichel - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of applied physiology (1985), Vol.128(2), pp.362-367
- DOI
- 10.1152/japplphysiol.00838.2019
- PMID
- 31917627
- PMCID
- PMC7052590
- NLM abbreviation
- J Appl Physiol (1985)
- ISSN
- 8750-7587
- eISSN
- 1522-1601
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Grant note
- R01 ES023863 / ;
- Alternative title
- FRACTAL GEOMETRY OF BRONCHIAL TREES
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/01/2020
- Academic Unit
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984197074302771
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