What is Scutoid shape of Epithelial cells ?

What is "Scutoid" shape ?

Scutoid is an newly discovered geometric shape, which is said to be of Epithelial cells found on the surfaces of many organs. This particular shape of the cells make the tissue to curve.

Scutoid has six sides and a strange triangular surface, when looked at from one end, and five surfaces when looked at from the other end, cells found in the saliva of fruit flies and zebra-fish had the same scutoidal shape.

The discovery of "Scutoid" can be useful in many areas like, medical biology and artificial organs creation.

What are Epithelial cells ?

Epithelial cells forms a person's skin and even the inner linings of their organs, the scutoid shape of these cells makes them tightly packed and organised while the body stretches and contracts.

"Nature Communications" journal has recently revealed that the epithelial cells adopt this form which looks like 'twisted prisms'.

The epithelial cells are the construction blocks with which an organism is formed, epithelial formed structures also provides barrier against infections or absorbing nutrients.

Starting from the embryo formation epithelial cells start 'moving and joining together' to give the organ their final shape. Till now these blocks were believed to have prism-shape or a shape like truncated pyramids, but a new research has revealed that these cells can adopt other more complex shapes as well.