title: Mammalian skin cell biology: at the interface between laboratory and clinic.
abstract: Mammalian skin research represents the convergence of three complementary disciplines: cell biology, mouse genetics, and dermatology. The skin provides a paradigm for current research in cell adhesion, inflammation, and tissue stem cells. Here, I discuss recent insights into the cell biology of skin. Single-cell analysis has revealed that human epidermal stem cells are heterogeneous and differentiate in response to multiple extrinsic signals. Live-cell imaging, optogenetics, and cell ablation experiments show skin cells to be remarkably dynamic. High-throughput, genome-wide approaches have yielded unprecedented insights into the circuitry that controls epidermal stem cell fate. Last, integrative biological analysis of human skin disorders has revealed unexpected functions for elements of the skin that were previously considered purely structural.
authors.affiliation: King's College London Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, 28th Floor, Tower Wing, Guy's Hospital, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 9RT, UK. fiona.watt@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Fiona M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Watt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003585:Cell Biology / Q000639:trends; D003880:Dermatology / Q000639:trends; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000648:ultrastructure; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D051379:Mice; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000473:pathology