Mechanisms of Cutaneous Inflammation

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Abstract
How do T cells find their way to the epidermis? Ever since a special relationship between T cells and epidermis was first postulated, it has been assumed that T-cell trafficking through skin occurs as a matter of course, and that the exaggeration of this process may explain the histopathologic features of many diseases characterized by T-cell infiltration of skin.1,2 However, the molecular basis for the affinity of T cells (and, indeed, of other bone marrow-derived leukocytes) for epidermis has remained obscure. Recently, several groups have contributed an important piece to the T cell-epidermis puzzle by focusing on the role of a group of glycoproteins collectively called adhesion molecules.3-6 Many of these molecules are members of the integrin family of proteins (based on molecular relationships), which, in turn, are thought to belong to the immunoglobulin gene superfamily.7 The integrins are a heterogeneous group of proteins that appear to