Formation and functions of the corneocyte lipid envelope (CLE)

Peter M Elias; Robert Gruber; Debra Crumrine; Gopinathan Menon; Mary L Williams; Joan S Wakefield; Walter M Holleran; Yoshikazu Uchida

doi:10.1016/j.bbalip.2013.09.011

Formation and functions of the corneocyte lipid envelope (CLE)

Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014 Mar;1841(3):314-8. doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2013.09.011. Epub 2013 Sep 27.

Authors

Peter M Elias¹, Robert Gruber², Debra Crumrine³, Gopinathan Menon⁴, Mary L Williams⁵, Joan S Wakefield³, Walter M Holleran³, Yoshikazu Uchida³

Affiliations

¹ Dermatology Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Dermatology Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Dermatology, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
³ Dermatology Services, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁴ Department of Ornithology & Mammals, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁵ Departments of Dermatology and Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Abstract

Corneocytes in mammalian stratum corneum are surrounded by a monolayer of covalently bound ω-OH-ceramides that form the corneocyte (-bound) lipid envelope (CLE). We review here the structure, composition, and possible functions of this structure, with insights provided by inherited and acquired disorders of lipid metabolism. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled The Important Role of Lipids in the Epidermis and their Role in the Formation and Maintenance of the Cutaneous Barrier. Guest Editors: Kenneth R. Feingold and Peter Elias.

Keywords: Acylceramide; Corneocyte lipid envelope; Essential fatty acid deficiency; Gaucher's disease; Neutral lipid storage disease; Refsum disease.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Epidermal Cells
Epidermis / metabolism*
Humans
Lipid Metabolism / physiology*
Lipids*

Substances

Lipids

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding