The mammalian epidermis is maintained by proliferation and differentiation of epidermal progenitor cells in a stereotyped developmental program. Here we report that tissue-specific deletion of the UV-damaged DNA-binding protein 1 (DDB1) in mouse epidermis led to dramatic accumulation of c-Jun and p21Cip1, arrest of cell cycle at G(2)/M, selective apoptosis of proliferating cells, and as a resul...

Lethal alleles of orthodenticle (= otd) cause abnormalities in the embryonic head that reflect an early role in anterior pattern formation. In addition, otd activity is required for the development of the larval and adult epidermis. Clonal analysis of both viable and lethal alleles shows that the adult requirement for otd is restricted to medial regions of certain discs. When otd activity is re...

Neural crest cells arise from the ectoderm and are first recognizable as discrete cells in the chicken embryo when they emerge from the neural tube. Despite the classical view that neural crest precursors are a distinct population lying between epidermis and neuroepithelium, our results demonstrate that they are not a segregated population. Cell lineage analyses have demonstrated that individua...

In the three past decades, tissue engineering allowed to develop skin models with characteristics close ex vivo skin, particularly at level of epidermis. The main function epidermis is protect body against environmental damage (UVs, pollution, microbial pathogens…) and prevent water loss. Keratinocytes, major cellular component epidermis, proliferate differentiate form in fine a physical barrie...

Involucrin is synthesized in abundance during terminal differentiation of keratinocytes. Involucrin is a substrate for transglutaminase and one of the precursors of the cross-linked envelopes present in the corneocytes of the epidermis and other stratified squamous epithelia. These envelopes make an important contribution to the physical resistance of the epidermis. We have generated mice lacki...

The role of the minerals in epidermal methylcholanthrene carcinogenesis in mice has been described (1), and the integration of the chemical, physical, and histological changes has been reviewed recently by Cowdry (3). The present study was undertaken to compare the calcium, copper, and zinc content of mouse and human epidermis with that in squamous cell carcinomas from mouse and man respectivel...

A cDNA encoding an acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) homologue has been cloned from a cDNA library made from mRNA isolated from epidermis of young leaves of Agave americana L. The derived amino acid sequence reveals a protein corresponding to the membrane-associated form of ACBPs only previously described in Arabidopsis and rice. Northern blot analysis showed that the A. americana ACBP gene is ma...

Cystoliths are large outgrowths of cell wall material and calcium carbonate with a silicon-containing stalk found in the leaves, stems roots only handful plant families. Each cystolith is contained within called lithocyst. In lithocysts may be mesophyll or epidermis. A study by Koch et al. (2009) reported unique, indented features on surface superamphiphilic Ruellia devosiana ( Acanthaceae ) le...

Synaptic maintenance is essential for neural circuit function. In the C. elegans locomotor circuit, motor neurons are in direct contact with the epidermis. Here, we reveal a novel epidermal-neuronal interaction mediated by a two-immunoglobulin domain transmembrane protein, ZIG-10, that is necessary for maintaining cholinergic synapse density. ZIG-10 is localized at the cell surface of epidermis...

The epidermis constantly encounters invasions that disrupt its architecture, yet whether the epidermal immune system utilizes damaged structures as danger signals to activate self-defense is unclear. Here, we used a C. elegans epidermis model in which skin-penetrating infection or injury activates immune defense and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) production. By systemically disrupting each archite...