Vertebrate airway has a tree-like-branched structure. This structure is generated by repeated tip splitting, which is called branching morphogenesis. Although this phenomenon is extensively studied in developmental biology, the mechanism of the pattern formation is not well understood. Conversely, there are many tree-like structures in purely physical or chemical systems, and their pattern formation mechanisms are well-understood using mathematical models. Recent studies correlate these biological observations and mathematical models to understand lung branching morphogenesis. These models use slightly different mechanisms. In this article, we will review recent progress in modelling lung branching morphogenesis, and future directions to experimentally verify the models.
Keywords: branching morphogenesis; diffusion-limited growth; lung; mathematical model; turing pattern.
© The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Japanese Biochemical Society. All rights reserved.