Although the lipids of mammalian stratum corneum are known to be important for the
cutaneous permeability barrier, the factors that regulate epidermal lipid biosynthesis are
poorly understood. Recent studies suggest that cutaneous sterol synthesis is regulated by
cutaneous barrier requirements, while the levels of circulating sterols do not play a role.
Whether cutaneous barrier requirements regulate epidermal lipogenesis in general and the
nature of the signal that activates the lipid biosynthetic apparatus are unknown. We …