Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Mar;1841(3):314-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2013.09.011. Epub 2013 Sep 27.

Formation and functions of the corneocyte lipid envelope (CLE)

Peter M Elias  1 , Robert Gruber  2 , Debra Crumrine  3 , Gopinathan Menon  4 , Mary L Williams  5 , Joan S Wakefield  3 , Walter M Holleran  3 , Yoshikazu Uchida  3
Affiliations
Review

Formation and functions of the corneocyte lipid envelope (CLE)

Peter M Elias et al. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2014 Mar.

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.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Model of Bound and Unbound Ceramides in Stratum Corneum Extracellular Domains.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
CLE in Normal and Diseased Skin (see text for abbreviations).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Normal Human Epidermis: Lipase activity is restricted to lamellar bodies (inset), and after secretion, within the extracellular spaces (open arrows). Methods for assessing upon localization on an ultrastructural level are cited in [24].
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Pathways Leading To CLE Formation: Key insights from inherited and acquired lipid metabolic disorders are highlighted (see text for further details)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wertz PW, Downing DT. Covalently bound omega-hydroxyacylsphingosine in the stratum corneum. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1987;917:108–111. - PubMed
    1. Marekov LN, Steinert PM. Ceramides are bound to structural proteins of the human foreskin epidermal cornified cell envelope. J Biol Chem. 1998;273:17763–17770. - PubMed
    1. Wertz PW, Swartzendruber DC, Kitko DJ, Madison KC, Downing DT. The role of the corneocyte lipid envelope in cohesion of the stratum corneum. J Invest Dermatol. 1989;93:169–172. - PubMed
    1. Doering T, Proia RL, Sandhoff K. Accumulation of protein-bound epidermal glucosylceramides in beta-glucocerebrosidase deficient type 2 Gaucher mice. FEBS Lett. 1999;447:167–170. - PubMed
    1. Houben E, Holleran WM, Yaginuma T, Mao C, Obeid LM, Rogiers V, Takagi Y, Elias PM, Uchida Y. Differentiation-associated expression of ceramidase isoforms in cultured keratinocytes and epidermis. J Lipid Res. 2006;47:1063–1070. - PubMed

Publication types