Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Part I General Principles of Cell Death
- Part II Cell Death in Tissues and Organs
- 11 Cell Death in Nervous System Development and Neurological Disease
- 12 Role of Programmed Cell Death in Neurodegenerative Disease
- 13 Implications of Nitrosative Stress-Induced Protein Misfolding in Neurodegeneration
- 14 Mitochondrial Mechanisms of Neural Cell Death in Cerebral Ischemia
- 15 Cell Death in Spinal Cord Injury – An Evolving Taxonomy with Therapeutic Promise
- 16 Apoptosis and Homeostasis in the Eye
- 17 Cell Death in the Inner Ear
- 18 Cell Death in the Olfactory System
- 19 Contribution of Apoptosis to Physiologic Remodeling of the Endocrine Pancreas and Pathophysiology of Diabetes
- 20 Apoptosis in the Physiology and Diseases of the Respiratory Tract
- 21 Regulation of Cell Death in the Gastrointestinal Tract
- 22 Apoptosis in the Kidney
- 23 Physiologic and Pathological Cell Death in the Mammary Gland
- 24 Therapeutic Targeting Apoptosis in Female Reproductive Biology
- 25 Apoptotic Signaling in Male Germ Cells
- 26 Cell Death in the Cardiovascular System
- 27 Cell Death Regulation in Muscle
- 28 Cell Death in the Skin
- 29 Apoptosis and Cell Survival in the Immune System
- 30 Cell Death Regulation in the Hematopoietic System
- 31 Apoptotic Cell Death in Sepsis
- 32 Host–Pathogen Interactions
- Part III Cell Death in Nonmammalian Organisms
- Plate section
- References
28 - Cell Death in the Skin
from Part II - Cell Death in Tissues and Organs
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 September 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Part I General Principles of Cell Death
- Part II Cell Death in Tissues and Organs
- 11 Cell Death in Nervous System Development and Neurological Disease
- 12 Role of Programmed Cell Death in Neurodegenerative Disease
- 13 Implications of Nitrosative Stress-Induced Protein Misfolding in Neurodegeneration
- 14 Mitochondrial Mechanisms of Neural Cell Death in Cerebral Ischemia
- 15 Cell Death in Spinal Cord Injury – An Evolving Taxonomy with Therapeutic Promise
- 16 Apoptosis and Homeostasis in the Eye
- 17 Cell Death in the Inner Ear
- 18 Cell Death in the Olfactory System
- 19 Contribution of Apoptosis to Physiologic Remodeling of the Endocrine Pancreas and Pathophysiology of Diabetes
- 20 Apoptosis in the Physiology and Diseases of the Respiratory Tract
- 21 Regulation of Cell Death in the Gastrointestinal Tract
- 22 Apoptosis in the Kidney
- 23 Physiologic and Pathological Cell Death in the Mammary Gland
- 24 Therapeutic Targeting Apoptosis in Female Reproductive Biology
- 25 Apoptotic Signaling in Male Germ Cells
- 26 Cell Death in the Cardiovascular System
- 27 Cell Death Regulation in Muscle
- 28 Cell Death in the Skin
- 29 Apoptosis and Cell Survival in the Immune System
- 30 Cell Death Regulation in the Hematopoietic System
- 31 Apoptotic Cell Death in Sepsis
- 32 Host–Pathogen Interactions
- Part III Cell Death in Nonmammalian Organisms
- Plate section
- References
Summary
Introduction
During life we are persistently exposed to environmental hazards. A first protective barrier is provided by the skin, protecting us against water loss and external physical, chemical, and biological insults such as wounding, UVB radiation, and microorganisms. The skin consists of an outer squamous epithelium, the epidermis, and an inner connective tissue, the dermis. The barrier is mainly constituted by the epidermis, which is continuously rejuvenated as a result of mitotic activity of the stem cells in the basal layer that provide new keratinocytes. Upon withdrawal from the cell cycle, basal keratinocytes detach from the basement membrane and undergo a terminal differentiation program to become corneocytes in the outer layers of the epidermis (Figure 28-1). At the transition from the granular to cornified layer, an increase in intracellular Ca2+ activates transglutaminases, which cross-link different structural proteins beneath the plasma membrane to form the cornified envelope. At the final stage of differentiation, the keratinocytes lose their organelles, including the nucleus, and become the dead, flattened corneocytes. This cell death program, called cornification, has to be well orchestrated because the dead cells act as an essential barrier and fulfill a specific function. Finally, corneocytes are shed from the skin by a process called desquamation. Melanocytes, also residing in the epidermis, are neurectoderm-derived cells that produce melanin, which provides skin pigmentation. Imbalances in the delicate physiologic turnover of proliferating or differentiating keratinocytes can result in the disturbance of the skin barrier function and are reflected in many skin disorders. In addition, improper removal of damaged cells by the terminal differentiation program can result in cancerous lesions.
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- Chapter
- Information
- ApoptosisPhysiology and Pathology, pp. 323 - 332Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011
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