regulation of tube size, open tracheal system
regulation of tube size, open tracheal system
Ensuring that an epithelial tube in an open tracheal system is of the correct length and diameter. Tracheal tubes undergo highly regulated tube-size increases during development, expanding up to 40 times their initial size by the end of larval life. Tube size appears to be controlled by regulation of apical membrane expansion and secretion, rather than by changes in cell number, size or shape.