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About the Authors:
Aniruddha Sengupta
Current address: Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
Affiliation: Molecular Biology of Selenium Section, Laboratory of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Ulrike F. Lichti
Affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Bradley A. Carlson
Affiliation: Molecular Biology of Selenium Section, Laboratory of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Andrew O. Ryscavage
Affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Vadim N. Gladyshev
Affiliation: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Stuart H. Yuspa
* E-mail: [email protected] (SHY); [email protected] (DLH)
Affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Dolph L. Hatfield
* E-mail: [email protected] (SHY); [email protected] (DLH)
Affiliation: Molecular Biology of Selenium Section, Laboratory of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
Introduction
Mammalian skin consists of epidermal and dermal layers separated by the basement membrane. The epidermis consists of multiple layers of stratified squamous epithelium composed primarily of keratinocytes. The basal layer cells of the epidermis interact with the basement membrane through hemidesmosomes and are capable of proliferation. Their progenies differentiate to generate the suprabasal spinous and granular layers and the stratum corneum [1]. The dermis is mesenchymally derived and is composed primarily of fibroblasts, dense dermal matrix, as well as other cell types; e.g. endothelial cells of blood vessels, fat cells, and macrophages. Hair follicle cells are of epidermal origin, which under the influence of specialized dermal cells develop in the dermis while maintaining their connection to the epidermis. Keratinocyte differentiation and interactions with the basement membrane and with neighboring cells within the epidermis play crucial roles in the structural integrity and development of skin.
Positioned at the interface between the body and the external environment, skin maintains body homeostasis and protects it from water-loss, injury, radiation and infections. It is constantly exposed to oxidative environmental stresses from UV rays,...