Book Description
As the outermost barrier of the body, the skin protects against bacterial, viral, and environmental assaults. To reach this end, epidermal and dermal resident cells have evolved intricate communication networks, involving innate and adaptive immune cells, epithelial cells, and neurons. In disease states, skin resident cells are aided by recruited immune cells, such as neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils. Initially, these cell types were studied in isolation, but recent focus has shifted towards understanding how physical interactions between cells and communication initiated by soluble mediators facilitate coordinated immune responses in the cutaneous microenvironment to maintain homeostasis, preserve barrier function, and, effectively clear bacterial, viral or fungal assailants. In this Research Topic, the goal is to highlight recent advances in cutaneous biology and immunology to provide insight into the cellular networks underlying the generation and regulation of cutaneous immune responses. Recent advances in this area have described novel pathways regulating skin-resident memory T cells, keratinocytes-immune cell interactions, and the relationships between sensory neurons and immune cells in the skin. Cumulatively, these studies provide a framework for understanding the complex interactions that are necessary for maintaining host protection, and homeostasis and reveal novel targetable pathways for patients with skin disease.
