169 TEDAR, A Skin-Specific Long Non-Coding RNA, Orchestrates the Late Epidermal Differentiation Program in the Human Epidermis

This study identifies TEDAR, a skin-specific long non-coding RNA, as a crucial regulator of epidermal differentiation. Through transcriptome analysis of over 15,000 RNA-seq samples, TEDAR was found to be highly expressed in the uppermost granular layer of the epidermis. Activation of TEDAR via CRISPR promotes keratinocyte differentiation, while its depletion leads to impaired epidermal differentiation and a compromised stratum corneum. TEDAR modulates ERK1/2 and KLF4, essential for epidermal differentiation, and its dysregulation is linked to skin diseases like basal and squamous cell carcinoma. These findings highlight TEDAR's vital role in skin barrier formation.