Cell culture for the study of epithelial cells.

Keratinocytes depend on the support of fibroblasts or fibroblast products to grow from single cells into colonies. The essentials of a human stratified squamous epithelium can be constructed from single human epidermal keratinocytes and lethally irradiated fibroblasts. Established lines of mouse keratinocytes obtained from teratomas have many of the same properties. In this way it is possible to study many aspects of this epithelial tissue or organ under essentially cell culture conditions.