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Science 24 September 1982:
Vol. 217. no. 4566, pp. 1261 - 1262
DOI: 10.1126/science.7112128
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Articles

Science, Vol 217, Issue 4566, 1261-1262
Copyright © 1982 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Glycolipids in mammalian epidermis: structure and function in the water barrier

PW Wertz and DT Downing

In the epidermis of terrestrial vertebrates, lipid lamellae between the horny cells are thought to form a barrier to water loss. The lipids are extruded from living cells after assembly in lamellar granules. This assembly might be promoted by recently identified 1-(3'-O-acyl)-beta-D-glucosyl-N-(omega-hydroxyacyl)sphingosines, which have 30- and 32-carbon hydroxy acids as amides and linoleic acid esterified to glucose. Such a role for these molecules could explain the effects of essential fatty acid deficiency, in which the lamellar granules fail to assemble and the barrier to water diffusion is lost.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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Abnormality of Water Barrier Function in Psoriasis: Role of Ceramide Fractions.
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The Permeability of Oral Mucosa.
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Essential Fatty Acids and Epidermal Integrity.
P. W. Wertz, D. C. Swartzendruber, W. Abraham, K. C. Madison, and D. T. Downing (1987)
Arch Dermatol 123, 1381-1384
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Erythrokeratodermia Variabilis Treated With Isotretinoin: A Clinical, Histologic, and Ultrastructural Study.
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Isolation of lamellar bodies from neonatal mouse epidermis by selective sequential filtration.
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An unusual glucocerebroside in the crustacean nervous system.
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