Skin is composed of an outer epidermis and an inner dermis. The outermost layer of the epidermis (the stratum corneum) forms a barrier to prevent the entry of pathogens and allergens. Accordingly, abnormalities of the skin barrier cause skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and ichthyosis. The barrier at the stratum corneum is a multi-layered lipid structure, and among those lipids, acylceramide, which is only found in the epidermis, plays a particularly important role in barrier formation. This research focused on the molecular mechanism of acylceramide production, an area that until now was largely unknown, and has succeeded in identifying a gene that acts in acylceramide production.
　
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