Epidermal barrier formation and recovery in skin disorders
J. Clin. Invest. Julia A. Segre, et al. 116:1150 doi:10.1172/JCI28521 [
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Figure 1Schematic diagram of the stages of epidermal differentiation, resulting in a permeability barrier. Epidermal keratinocytes undergo a linear program of differentiation from mitotically active basal cells to transcriptionally active spinous cells to enucleated granular cells, resulting finally in differentiated squames in the stratum corneum. As shown in the inset, squames, which provide the primary barrier, are composed of keratin macrofibrils and cross-linked cornified envelopes encased in lipid bilayers. Tight junctions, located in the granular layer, also play an essential role in retaining the water content of the body.
