Nevertheless, it is striking that mice lacking a fully functional LBR allele due to homozygous mutations at the ichthyosis locus (ic/ic) are viable, although these animals display numerous phenotypic abnormalities including alopecia, syndactyly and hydrocephalus as well as an increase in embryonic lethality (Shultz et al., 2003). The gene discussed is LBR; the disease is ichthyosis.