Beyond barrier function: keratinocytes as orchestrators of humoral immunity

The skin is a highly organized immune organ in which resident non-immune cells cooperate with immune cells to maintain host defense and shape systemic adaptive immunity. A recent study revealed that a keratinocyte-intrinsic farnesyl pyrophosphate-transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 pathway transforms epidermal stress into interleukin-6- and chemokine-dependent signals that promote dendritic cell migration, T follicular helper-cell expansion and germinal center activity, thereby amplifying humoral immunity and autoimmunity.