Aging cell
Eva Roig-Rosello, Guila Dayan, Simone Bovio, Patricia Manissier, Elisabeth Errazuriz, Patricia Rousselle

First published: 12 March 2024

https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.14096

The epidermis is a stratified epithelium that forms the outer layer of the skin. It is composed primarily of keratinocytes and is constantly renewed by the proliferation of stem cells and their progeny that undergo terminal differentiation as they leave the basal layer and migrate to the skin surface.

The distribution of basal cells with optimal activity provides the basement membrane with its characteristic undulating shape; this configuration disappears with age, leading to epidermal weakness. In this study, we present an in-depth imaging analysis of basal keratinocyte anchorage in samples of human skin from participants across the age spectrum.

Our findings reveal that skin aging is associated with the depletion of hemidesmosomes that provide crucial support for stem cell maintenance; their depletion correlates with the loss of the characteristic basement membrane structure.

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