There are higher numbers of known diseases of the skin than any other organ system due to the fact that skin is the first defense system against the external environment and it primarily responses to the various outer challenges. Studies on the skin diseases-associated enzymes are therefore important to understand the complex nature of defense mechanisms and various pathogeneses. With the efforts of researchers, several important diseases-associated enzymes have been gradually revealed and now more than ever, the rapid developments of high-throughput based-technologies in OMICS (such as proteomics and genomics as well as bioinformatics) have enabled researchers to understand diseases and diseases-associated enzymes. New methods and technologies will be important to gain more insight into the complex pathogenesis of cutaneous diseases and to develop effective and precise therapeutic strategies.

We are particularly interested in articles regarding the roles of enzymes in major skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, pigment disorders, acne, hair loss, and skin cancers. We invite investigators to contribute original research articles and short communications as well as review articles that will provide insights into the roles of enzymes in skin diseases.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Latest genetic studies: mutation and SNP analyses for the enzyme of interest
• Gel-based or nongel-based proteomic findings of enzymes in skin diseases
• Computational simulations and interactomics for the novel enzyme
• Molecular functional studies for the novel enzyme
• Role of enzymes in the pathogeneses of skin disorders with respect to enzymology
• Kinetics, thermodynamics, and folding studies
• Clinical case report for the newly detected enzyme
• Medicinal mechanisms for activation or inhibition of the target enzymes
• Clinical trials for treating patients

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/er/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: