Studies on the plasma membrane of normal and psoriatic keratinocytes. 3. Uptake of labelled sugars and their incorporation into glycoconjugates.

We report the uptake of four labelled sugars by keratinocytes isolated from normal epidermis, psoriatic 'uninvolved' skin and psoriatic lesions. Our findings include the following: (1) The rate of uptake of all sugars by the psoriatic lesion is increased. (2) This abnormally high uptake diminishes dramatically during 22 h incubation in vitro. (3) There is a striking abnormality in the metabolism of fucose by psoriatic keratinocytes; our data suggest an increased rate of incorporation of fucose into glycoconjugates.