Fig. 3. Filaggrin-containing granules undergo a shift in spatial distribution and locate in the proximity and within the limits of the cell nucleus.

a–c Characterization of KHG population from confocal scanning microscopy data of fixed NHEK cells at different calcium switches, i.e., differentiation stages of Fig. 2. a Granule volume, b surface area, and c sphericity as a function of the distance to the nuclear membrane. Color coding: cold colors––low calcium = low differentiation state; warm colors––high calcium = high differentiation state (see also color bar). The dashed vertical line represents the reference point of all granule locations (nuclear membrane). The distance |r| is the absolute value of the differences of granule spatial coordinates; consequently, granules located within the nucleus had at least one negative spatial coordinate (x, y, or z). Insets: dependence of the average value of the respective parameter on calcium concentration [Ca²⁺]; >50 cells analyzed; error bars = SDM; p < 0.01, n = 11152 in ~50 cells analyzed; data are representative of three separate experiments. Red and blue lines represent fitted polynomial trend curves to the data. In c, average values are given for granules smaller than 3 µm in axial length (with red trend line) and for granules larger than 3 µm in length (with blue trend line)