{"id":18415,"date":"2015-11-29T18:37:29","date_gmt":"2015-11-29T18:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/research\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T10:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T05:07:11","slug":"humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin","status":"publish","type":"research","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin","title":{"rendered":"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">What could be the similarity between human skin and turtle shell? A group of researchers led by molecular biologist Leopold Eckhart of the University Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna studied the genes that help in the formation of the shell in the European terrapin and a North American species of turtle. They discovered that the mutations responsible for the hard shell originate in a group of genes known as the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). Remarkably, turtles and humans share the basic organization of the EDC genes. In both the species, the EDC genes play the role of protecting the skin from the invasion of allergens and microbes. Hence, the researchers believe that a common reptilian ancestor who may have existed 310 million years ago may have hosted the archetypal EDC genes. This study is important since it could lead to the development of novel treatment methods to treat diseases caused due to EDC gene mutation such as psoriasis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\">Read more in <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2015\/11\/151125104911.htm\">Science Daily<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":33313,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"new_tags":[],"series":[],"subject":[2976,2974,2975],"class_list":["post-18415","research","type-research","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","subject-and-molecular-biology","subject-biochemistry","subject-genetics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin | Editage Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What could be the similarity between human skin and turtle shell? A group of researchers led by molecular biologist Leopold Eckhart of the University Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna studied the genes that help in the formation of the shell in the European terrapin and a North American species of turtle. They discovered that the mutations responsible for the hard shell originate in a group of genes known as the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). Read more about their research here.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin | Editage Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What could be the similarity between human skin and turtle shell? A group of researchers led by molecular biologist Leopold Eckhart of the University Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna studied the genes that help in the formation of the shell in the European terrapin and a North American species of turtle. They discovered that the mutations responsible for the hard shell originate in a group of genes known as the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). Read more about their research here.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Editage Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-22T05:07:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/editage-insights-generic-banner.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"870\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"446\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Editage\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin\",\"name\":\"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin | Editage Insights\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-11-29T18:37:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-22T05:07:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"What could be the similarity between human skin and turtle shell? A group of researchers led by molecular biologist Leopold Eckhart of the University Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna studied the genes that help in the formation of the shell in the European terrapin and a North American species of turtle. They discovered that the mutations responsible for the hard shell originate in a group of genes known as the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). Read more about their research here.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp\",\"width\":656,\"height\":336},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Researchs\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/research\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/\",\"name\":\"Editage Insights\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Editage Insights\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":324,\"caption\":\"Editage Insights\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Editage\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin | Editage Insights","description":"What could be the similarity between human skin and turtle shell? A group of researchers led by molecular biologist Leopold Eckhart of the University Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna studied the genes that help in the formation of the shell in the European terrapin and a North American species of turtle. They discovered that the mutations responsible for the hard shell originate in a group of genes known as the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). Read more about their research here.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin | Editage Insights","og_description":"What could be the similarity between human skin and turtle shell? A group of researchers led by molecular biologist Leopold Eckhart of the University Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna studied the genes that help in the formation of the shell in the European terrapin and a North American species of turtle. They discovered that the mutations responsible for the hard shell originate in a group of genes known as the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). Read more about their research here.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin","og_site_name":"Editage Insights","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage","article_modified_time":"2025-09-22T05:07:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":870,"height":446,"url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/editage-insights-generic-banner.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@Editage","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin","name":"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin | Editage Insights","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp","datePublished":"2015-11-29T18:37:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-22T05:07:11+00:00","description":"What could be the similarity between human skin and turtle shell? A group of researchers led by molecular biologist Leopold Eckhart of the University Department of Dermatology at MedUni Vienna studied the genes that help in the formation of the shell in the European terrapin and a North American species of turtle. They discovered that the mutations responsible for the hard shell originate in a group of genes known as the Epidermal Differentiation Complex (EDC). Read more about their research here.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/editage-insights-generic-banner_298.webp","width":656,"height":336},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/humans-and-turtles-share-the-same-skin-proteins-that-protect-their-skin#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Researchs","item":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/research"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Humans and turtles share the same skin proteins that protect their skin"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/","name":"Editage Insights","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#organization","name":"Editage Insights","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/editage-insights-logo-1-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":324,"caption":"Editage Insights"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Editage","https:\/\/x.com\/Editage"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research\/18415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research\/18415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"new_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/new_tags?post=18415"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=18415"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=18415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}