Defects in epidermal morphogenesis in mammalian Grainyhead-like gene deficient mice

皮肤细胞在哺乳动物胚胎的发育中起着至关重要的作用。它们对于大脑和脊髓的闭合、对感染和有害刺激形成保护屏障、防止体液过多流失、修复缺陷和伤口以及毛发的生成至关重要。我们的实验室已经确定了一个对所有这些过程至关重要的基因家族。失去家庭成员的个体有不同的后果，这项研究的目的是确定基因之间的关系，以进一步了解皮肤及其功能。这些研究与人类先天性先天性缺陷脊柱裂和无脑畸形以及婴儿早产儿（皮肤发育不全，缺乏屏障功能）等疾病有直接和重要的相关性。它们也与伤口愈合和头发生长受到影响的情况有关，如脱发。我们相信治疗干预和产前诊断测试可以从这些研究中发展出来。

The cells of the skin play an essential role in development of the mammalian embryo. They are critical for closure of the brain and spinal cord, for forming a protective barrier against infection and noxious stimuli, for preventing excess fluid loss, for repair of defects and wounds, and for the generation of hair. Our laboratory has identified a family of genes that are critical for all these processes. Loss of individual members of the family has different consequences and the aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the genes to further our understanding of the skin and its functions. These studies have direct and important relevance to human conditions such as the congenital birth defects spina bifida and anencephaly, and infant prematurity where the skin is underdeveloped and lacks barrier function. They also have relevance to wound healing and to conditions in which hair growth is affected, such as alopecia. We believe that therapeutic interventions and prenatal diagnostic tests could evolve from these studies.