| Abstract: | As keratinocytes differentiate into corneocytes of the stratum corneum or epidermal permeability barrier, their lipids are modified so as to fulfill totally different functions. Recent experimentation has clarified the molecular mechanisms by which lipids of membrane origin are targeted to specialized lamellar bodies, where metabolic retailoring makes them suitable for use in the water-impermeable intercellular lamellae. In this latter structure the modified lipids are bound covalently to specialized proteins in a way that encourages the formation of lipid bilayers alternating with lipid monolayers. Only now are potential clues to the molecular regulation of this dramatic lipid transformation becoming apparent. |
