ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author takes a close look at the stem cells that underpin the skin and related epithelial surfaces, including the outer surface of the eye (the cornea) and the oral epithelium. Of the three germ layers of the developing embryo, the ectoderm represents the external layer that yields the epidermis and other stratified epithelia, including that in the mouth. These tissues give rise to a range of specialized appendages such as hair follicles, sweat glands, teeth, salivary glands, and mammary glands. Elaine Fuchs is a world leader in skin biology, her research focusing on the mechanisms that control the differentiation of the epidermis and its appendages from stem cells. Her approach to this research has been notable for its use of genetic approaches in defining how stem cell fate is determined and relating the function of individual genes to their role in human diseases when they are defective.
