In Vitro Model of the Epidermis: Connecting Protein Function to 3D Structure.

Much of our understanding of the biological processes that underlie cellular functions in humans, such as cell-cell communication, intracellular signaling, and transcriptional and posttranscriptional control of gene expression, has been acquired from studying cells in a two-dimensional (2D) tissue culture environment. However, it has become increasingly evident that the 2D environment does not support certain cell functions. The need for more physiologically relevant models prompted the development of three-dimensional (3D) cultures of epithelial, endothelial, and neuronal tissues (Shamir & Ewald, 2014). These models afford investigators with powerful tools to study the contribution of spatial organization, often in the context of relevant extracellular matrix and stromal components, to cellular and tissue homeostasis in normal and disease states.