人类小肠（总长度要比人体长得多）是紧密盘绕在体腔内的，其盘绕模式在不同个体之间非常相似，而且具有人类自身的特点。根据对小鸡肠道形态发生的研究，同时结合细胞生物学和发育生物学以及生物物理和数学模拟，研究人员发现，脊椎动物肠道的复杂盘绕形状是力学作用的结果。身体生长的时候，体内的肠道长得更快。它的两端都是固定的，并被 “肠系膜”肌肉层悬挂着，所以会被迫盘绕起来。盘绕模式只由“肠系膜”、肠子特性和相对生长速度决定，但各种不同的缠绕、拧转和回环具有非常高的重现性，在不同个体的同一位置以相同数量出现。
小肠盘绕形状
生物探索推荐英文摘要
On the growth and form of the gut
Abstract：The developing vertebrate gut tube forms a reproducible looped pattern as it grows into the body cavity. Here we use developmental experiments to eliminate alternative models and show that gut looping morphogenesis is driven by the homogeneous and isotropic forces that arise from the relative growth between the gut tube and the anchoring dorsal mesenteric sheet, tissues that grow at different rates. A simple physical mimic, using a differentially strained composite of a pliable rubber tube and a soft latex sheet is consistent with this mechanism and produces similar patterns. We devise a mathematical theory and a computational model for the number, size and shape of intestinal loops based solely on the measurable geometry, elasticity and relative growth of the tissues. The predictions of our theory are quantitatively consistent with observations of intestinal loops at different stages of development in the chick embryo. Our model also accounts for the qualitative and quantitative variation in the distinct gut looping patterns seen in a variety of species including quail, finch and mouse, illuminating how the simple macroscopic mechanics of differential growth drives the morphology of the developing gut.
