This project area aims to contribute to the understanding of the cross-talk between local mechanical cues and adaptation/differentiation in multilayer epithelia. The selected paradigm is the epidermis, which is by far the most extensive epithelial tissue surrounding the entire outer body surface. It is characterized by the arrangement of tightly-coupled keratinocytes in layer-specific configurations, each with unique differentiation features and mechanobiological properties. To work toward elucidation of mechanical cross-talk mechanisms, novel tools have been and still need to be developed to enable layer-specific analyses. Another focus of this project area is the dysregulation of this balance in human diseases, which are often associated with perturbed neuronal perception resulting in pain and itch. The underlying pathomechanisms of mechanosensation and mechanotransduction are not known.
