Crossing the barrier: STRA6 in epidermal differentiation.

Overview

In this issue, Skazik et al. demonstrate that the STRA6 retinol transporter protein regulates the proliferation and differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. In human organotypic three-dimensional skin and skin reconstitution models, depletion of STRA6 induced hyperproliferation-associated differentiation, resulting in epidermal expansion. This reveals that STRA6 functions as a "gatekeeper" in retinol (vitamin A)-mediated differentiation of human skin.