Dermoepidermal junction

The dermoepidermal junction is the area of tissue that joins the epidermal and the dermal layers of the skin.^[1] The basal cells in the stratum basale of the epidermis connect to the basement membrane by the anchoring filaments of hemidesmosomes; the cells of the papillary layer of the dermis are attached to the basement membrane by anchoring fibrils, which consist of type VII collagen.^[2]

Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are diseases where there is a breakdown of the dermoepidermal junction.

References

1. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
2. "Dermo-epidermal junction zone". Netzwerk Epidermolysis bullosa. 2006. Retrieved 30 November 2011.