The Skin's Barrier: A Cryo-EM Based Overview of its Architecture and Stepwise Formation
Lars Norlén1, Magnus Lundborg2, Christian Wennberg2
1Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden; Dermatology Clinic, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
A major role of the skin is to serve as a barrier toward the environment. The skin's permeability barrier consists of a lipid structure positioned in the stratum corneum. Recent progress in high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has allowed for elucidation of the architecture of the skin's barrier and its stepwise formation process representing the final stage of epidermal differentiation. In this review, we present an overview of the skin's barrier structure and its formation process, as evidenced by cryo-EM.
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