Trophic effects of keratinocytes on the axonal development of sensory neurons in a coculture model.

The epidermis, the outermost structure of the skin, fulfils important roles as a physical barrier between the organism and its environment and as a neuroendocrine, immune and sensory organ. It is innervated by unmyelinated sensory fibres conveying nociceptive and thermoceptive information. Little is known concerning the functional interactions between these sensory fibres and the keratinocytes, which constitute 95% of the epidermal cells.

Influence of aging on glycosaminoglycans and small leucine-rich proteoglycans production by skin fibroblasts.

Skin aging is characterised by a progressive deterioration of its functional properties, linked to alterations of dermal connective tissue. Whereas many studies have been devoted to collagen alterations during aging, the situation is less clear concerning glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans. Particularly, the alterations of the expression of small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs), a family of proteoglycans strongly implicated in cell regulation, have never been studied.