Glycolipids in mammalian epidermis: structure and function in the water barrier.
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.
D000818:Animals; D004817:Epidermis / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance
D006017:Glycolipids