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Related Concept Videos

Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
Overview of Cell Signaling01:23

Overview of Cell Signaling

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate with the environment.
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...
Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells01:12

Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells

The skin is divided into epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis, the skin's outermost, middle, and inner layers. The human epidermal layer regularly undergoes renewal, where old, dead cells are replaced by new cells. Epidermal stem cells or EpiSCs divide and differentiate to restore the lost cells. For the renewal process, some EpiSCs continuously self-renew. In contrast, few others differentiate into transit-amplifying cells, which later form prickle or spinous cells, followed by granular cells,...
Clinical Applications of Epidermal Stem Cells01:19

Clinical Applications of Epidermal Stem Cells

Epidermal stem cells (EpiSCs) are mainly located at the basal layer of the epidermis. These cells repair minor injuries of the skin and replace dead skin cells. However, EpiSCs’ cannot heal severe wounds such as major burns or those from diabetes or hereditary disorders. In such cases, culturing the epidermal stem cells from the patient is possible and has yielded successful treatment options, such as laboratory-grown skin grafts. These grafts are synthesized using a patient’s own EpiSCs...
Cells of the Epidermis01:24

Cells of the Epidermis

The epidermis is made of four or five layers of epithelial cells, depending on its location in the body. From deep to superficial, these layers are the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum, and stratum corneum.
The cells in all these layers except the stratum basale are called keratinocytes, a type of cell that manufactures and stores the protein keratin. The keratinocytes in the stratum corneum are dead and regularly slough away, being replaced by cells from...
Papillary Dermis01:11

Papillary Dermis

Dermis
The dermis might be considered the "core" of the integumentary system, as distinct from the epidermis and hypodermis. It contains blood and lymph vessels, nerves, and other structures, such as hair follicles and sweat glands. The dermis is made of two layers of connective tissue that comprise an interconnected mesh of elastin and collagenous fibers, produced by fibroblasts.
Papillary Layer
The papillary layer is made of loose, areolar connective tissue, which means the collagen and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture
10:31

Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture

Published on: April 8, 2016

Cell-to-cell communication within intact human skin.

D Salomon1, J H Saurat, P Meda

  • 1Dermatology Clinic, University of Geneva, Medical School, Switzerland.

The Journal of Clinical Investigation
|July 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary

Human skin keratinocytes communicate via gap junctions, forming extensive networks within the epidermis but not between skin layers. This communication varies regionally and by epidermal layer.

Area of Science:

  • Dermatology
  • Cell Biology
  • Histology

Background:

  • Cell-to-cell communication is vital for tissue function.
  • Gap junctions mediate direct intercellular communication.
  • Understanding skin cell communication is crucial for dermatology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize cell-to-cell communication (coupling) in intact human skin.
  • To investigate coupling patterns in epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts.
  • To determine if epidermal and dermal compartments communicate directly.

Main Methods:

  • Microinjection of gap junction-permeant tracer (Lucifer Yellow) into single cells.
  • Analysis of tracer spread to identify coupled cells.
  • Quantitative assessment of communication extent in different skin regions and layers.

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Generation of Genetically Modified Organotypic Skin Cultures Using Devitalized Human Dermis
09:16

Generation of Genetically Modified Organotypic Skin Cultures Using Devitalized Human Dermis

Published on: December 14, 2015

Generation and Culturing of Primary Human Keratinocytes from Adult Skin
10:42

Generation and Culturing of Primary Human Keratinocytes from Adult Skin

Published on: December 22, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture
10:31

Lymphocyte Isolation from Human Skin for Phenotypic Analysis and Ex Vivo Cell Culture

Published on: April 8, 2016

Generation of Genetically Modified Organotypic Skin Cultures Using Devitalized Human Dermis
09:16

Generation of Genetically Modified Organotypic Skin Cultures Using Devitalized Human Dermis

Published on: December 14, 2015

Generation and Culturing of Primary Human Keratinocytes from Adult Skin
10:42

Generation and Culturing of Primary Human Keratinocytes from Adult Skin

Published on: December 22, 2017

Main Results:

  • Keratinocytes in human skin exhibit extensive cell coupling (25-50 cells).
  • Dermal fibroblasts show even more extensive coupling (over 100 cells).
  • No direct coupling was observed between epidermal keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts.
  • Cell coupling is more extensive in epidermal ridges than suprapapillary plates.
  • Coupling is less extensive in the basal epidermal layer compared to suprabasal layers.
  • Retinoids did not affect the observed communication patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Junctional cell-to-cell communication occurs in normal, differentiated human skin.
  • Significant regional heterogeneity exists in keratinocyte-to-keratinocyte communication.
  • There is a lack of direct communication between epidermal and dermal compartments in human skin.