Based on limited published evidence, LCE1A encodes a precursor protein of the cornified envelope in the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis. It functions in protein binding and localizes to the cytosol. LCE1A is part of the Epidermal Differentiation Complex and has undergone positive selection in human populations, with selective sweeps for LCE1A-SMCP haplotypes associated with skin barrier adaptation during human migration out-of-Africa, reaching near fixation in European populations 1.