Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Improving 2D and 3D Skin In Vitro Models Using Macromolecular Crowding
Published on: August 22, 2016
The barrier function of skin: how to keep a tight lid on water loss
Daisuke Tsuruta1, Kathleen J Green, Spiro Getsios
1Dept of Cell and Molecular Biology, The Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, 303 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. j-jones3@northwestern.edu
Abstract:
Without an epidermis, we would be in a sorry state. The epidermal layer not only protects us from environmental pathogens but also acts as a 'barrier' to water loss. The identification of the molecular nature of the barrier has occupied the efforts of skin researchers over many years, with the consensus in the field being that a protein-lipid layer, located in the upper layers of the epidermis, is necessary for establishment and maintenance of a water barrier. Now, evidence has been presented that components of intercellular junctions, termed tight junctions, also play an essential role in development of barrier function in the skin. Remarkably, the data support a hypothesis that was presented more than 30 years ago.
Related Concept Videos
The Blood-brain Barrier
Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss
Tight Junctions
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Sweat Glands
Sweat glands are classified as merocrine glands; that is, the secretions are excreted by exocytosis through a duct without affecting the cells of the gland. There...
Physiological Barriers
The blood endothelial barrier is the most porous of these. It allows all small ionized, un-ionized, and lipophilic molecules to pass through the endothelial lining into the interstitial space...
Surface Membrane Barriers
The outer layer of the skin, the epidermis, is a robust barrier comprising layers of closely packed keratinized cells. This dense arrangement prevents microbes from penetrating the body. The periodic shedding of epidermal cells...

