Open AccessDeveloping stratified epithelia: lessons from the epidermis and thymus
Author(s) -
Roberts Natalie,
Horsley Valerie
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: developmental biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.779
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1759-7692
pISSN - 1759-7684
DOI - 10.1002/wdev.146
Subject(s) - epidermis (zoology) , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , epithelium , stem cell , appendage , stratified squamous epithelium , progenitor cell , regeneration (biology) , embryonic stem cell , hair follicle , anatomy , genetics , gene
Stratified squamous epithelial cells are found in a number of organs, including the skin epidermis and the thymus. The progenitor cells of the developing epidermis form a multi‐layered epithelium and appendages, like the hair follicle, to generate an essential barrier to protect against water loss and invasion of foreign pathogens. In contrast, the thymic epithelium forms a three‐dimensional mesh of keratinocytes that are essential for positive and negative selection of self‐restricted T cells. While these distinct stratified epithelial tissues derive from distinct embryonic germ layers, both tissues instruct immunity, and the epithelial differentiation programs and molecular mechanisms that control their development are remarkably similar. In this review, we aim to highlight some of the similarities between the thymus and the skin epidermis and its appendages during developmental specification. WIREs Dev Biol 2014, 3:389–402. doi: 10.1002/wdev.146 This article is categorized under: Signaling Pathways > Cell Fate Signaling Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Tissue Stem Cells and Niches