Tight junction defects in patients with atopic dermatitis

A De Benedetto, NM Rafaels, LY McGirt… - Journal of Allergy and …, 2011 - Elsevier
BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by dry skin and a hyperactive
immune response to allergens, 2 cardinal features that are caused in part by epidermal
barrier defects. Tight junctions (TJs) reside immediately below the stratum corneum and
regulate the selective permeability of the paracellular pathway. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated
the expression/function of the TJ protein claudin-1 in epithelium from AD and nonatopic
subjects and screened 2 American populations for single nucleotide polymorphisms in the …