 Logo of bmccancBioMed Centralsearchsubmit a
manuscriptregisterthis articleBMC Cancer BMC Cancer. 2009; 9:
89. Published online Mar 23, 2009. doi:  10.1186/1471-2407-9-89
PMCID: PMC2663766     There is experimental evidence from animal
models favoring the notion that the disruption of interactions
between stroma and epithelium plays an important role in the
initiation of carcinogenesis. These disrupted interactions are
hypothesized to be mediated by molecules, termed morphostats,
which diffuse through the tissue to determine cell phenotype and
maintain tissue architecture.   We developed a computer
simulation based on simple properties of cell renewal and
morphostats.   Under the computer simulation, the disruption of
the morphostat gradient in the stroma generated epithelial
precursors of cancer without any mutation in the epithelium.
The model is consistent with the possibility that the
accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes found in tumors
could arise after the formation of a founder population o