Thus the data reported here suggest that the changes in Cldn expression and localization in mice with low expression of Cldn6-CΔ196 in the epidermis lead to relatively subtle changes in the epidermal differentiation program and permeability in the young animal, but render them prone to injury and diminished repair that are exacerbated especially in areas subjected to repeated mechanical trauma, leading to chronic and increasingly severe dermatitis. Here, CLDN6 is linked to dermatitis.