Testing Foundations of Biological Scaling Theory Using Automated Measurements of Vascular Networks

PLoS Computational Biology
Mitchell G NewberryVan M Savage

Abstract

Scientists have long sought to understand how vascular networks supply blood and oxygen to cells throughout the body. Recent work focuses on principles that constrain how vessel size changes through branching generations from the aorta to capillaries and uses scaling exponents to quantify these changes. Prominent scaling theories predict that combinations of these exponents explain how metabolic, growth, and other biological rates vary with body size. Nevertheless, direct measurements of individual vessel segments have been limited because existing techniques for measuring vasculature are invasive, time consuming, and technically difficult. We developed software that extracts the length, radius, and connectivity of in vivo vessels from contrast-enhanced 3D Magnetic Resonance Angiography. Using data from 20 human subjects, we calculated scaling exponents by four methods-two derived from local properties of branching junctions and two from whole-network properties. Although these methods are often used interchangeably in the literature, we do not find general agreement between these methods, particularly for vessel lengths. Measurements for length of vessels also diverge from theoretical values, but those for radius show stronger...Continue Reading

References

Mar 1, 1983·The Journal of General Physiology·M ZamirB L Langille
Jul 1, 1993·The American Journal of Physiology·G S KassabY C Fung
Nov 1, 1996·Journal of Applied Physiology·W HuangG Bledsoe
Sep 24, 1998·Journal of Theoretical Biology·D L TurcotteW I Newman
Apr 10, 1999·Journal of Theoretical Biology·M Zamir
May 21, 1999·Nature·J R BanavarA Rinaldo
Mar 10, 2001·Journal of Theoretical Biology·P S DoddsJ S Weitz
Nov 3, 2004·Surgical Neurology·Barbara NettelL Dade Lunsford
Apr 1, 2006·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·David I WartonMark Westoby
Mar 1, 1926·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·C D Murray
Aug 1, 2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Charles A PriceVan M Savage
Oct 24, 2007·AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology·Derek G LohanJ Paul Finn
Dec 7, 2007·American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology·Benjamin KaimovitzGhassan S Kassab
Sep 13, 2008·PLoS Computational Biology·Van M SavageWalter Fontana
Apr 14, 2009·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Geoffrey B WestJames H Brown
Sep 15, 2009·American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology·Thomas WischgollGhassan S Kassab
Nov 20, 2009·The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience·Philbert S TsaiDavid Kleinfeld
Apr 3, 2010·Nature·Tom KolokotronesWalter Fontana
Apr 7, 2010·Physical Review Letters·Peter Sheridan Dodds
Apr 7, 2010·Physical Review Letters·Francis Corson
Apr 7, 2010·Physical Review Letters·Eleni KatiforiMarcelo O Magnasco
Aug 21, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jayanth R BanavarAmos Maritan
Jul 1, 1999·IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics·Yong Zhou, Arthur W Toga
Nov 16, 2010·Ecology Letters·Benjamin BlonderBrian J Enquist
Dec 15, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·V M SavageE I von Allmen
Feb 4, 2011·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Tanya LattyMadeleine Beekman
Apr 19, 2011·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Eric J DeedsWalter Fontana
Jun 17, 2011·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Yunlong Huo, Ghassan S Kassab
Oct 8, 2011·PloS One·Alexander B HermanGeoffrey B West
Nov 19, 2011·Ecology Letters·Charles A PriceJoshua S Weitz
Jun 16, 2012·PloS One·Yuriy MileykoJoshua S Weitz
Aug 31, 2012·Ecology Letters·Charles A PriceJerome Chave
Feb 20, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jayanth R BanavarAmos Maritan

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jul 20, 2016·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Melanie MosesStephanie Forrest
Dec 3, 2016·PLoS Computational Biology·Elif TekinVan M Savage
Jan 25, 2018·Scientific Reports·Fernando J BallesterosAndrés Moya
Mar 17, 2019·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Roger S SeymourCraig R White
May 16, 2019·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Jonathan Y Suen, Saket Navlakha
Nov 12, 2019·Journal of Anatomy·Roger S SeymourEdward P Snelling
Oct 3, 2019·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Mitchel J ColebankLaura Ellwein Fix
Aug 28, 2019·Materials·Clarissa TomasinaSandra Camarero-Espinosa
Mar 21, 2017·PLoS Computational Biology·Alexander Byers BrummerBrian J Enquist
Jul 15, 2016·Physical Review. E·David Hunt, Van M Savage
May 6, 2019·Physical Review Letters·Mitchell G Newberry, Van M Savage
Jun 12, 2020·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Jan KozłowskiMarcin Czarnoleski
Jan 7, 2021·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Alexander B BrummerVan M Savage

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
X-Ray
SMA

Software Mentioned

SMA
Angicart
OCaml

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cancer Metabolism

In order for cancer cells to maintain rapid, uncontrolled cell proliferation, they must acquire a source of energy. Cancer cells acquire metabolic energy from their surrounding environment and utilize the host cell nutrients to do so. Here is the latest research on cancer metabolism.