The skin is a complex stratifi ed organ which acts not only as a permeability barrier and defense against external agents, but also has essential thermoregulatory, sensory and metabolic functions. Due to its high versatility and activity, the skin undergoes continuous selfrenewal to repair damaged tissue and replace old cells. Consequently, the skin is a reservoir for adult stem cells of diff e...

Introduction Dermal epidermal junction (DEJ) is a complex macromolecular structure which establishes the boundary between two major skin compartments, epidermis and dermis and the cellular components of these layers play a major role in its organization (1). We are interested in the structural and functional analysis of the epidermis formed in human skin equivalent (HSE) models that uses co-cul...

The fine structure of the nerve endings in the glabrous skin of the mole snout (Eimer's organ) were studied by light and electron microscopy. There are three types of nerve endings in the mole snout skin: free nerve endings, Merkel cells and encapsulated endings. 1. When nerve fibers enter the epidermis, they lose their myelin sheath. The basement membrane of the Schwann cell fuses with that of...

Elongation of the epidermis of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans involves both actomyosin-mediated changes in lateral epidermal cell shape and body muscle attachment to dorsal and ventral epidermal cells via intermediate-filament/hemidesmosome structures. vab-19 mutants are defective in epidermal elongation and muscle attachment to the epidermis. VAB-19 is a member of a conserved family of an...