Health Sciences 2300A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Stratum Spinosum, Stratum Corneum, Merkel Cell
25 May 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The skin is also referred to as the cutaneous layer. The epidermis, made of epithelial cells, is the avascular top layer of the skin. Below that is the vascular dermis layer made of connective tissue. The hypodermis (also called subcutaneous layer) is not part of the skin, it is a layer of adipose and areolar tissue just under the dermis. The skin and the hypodermis form the integument. This is composed of stratified squamous keratinized cells. It contains four types of cells: keratinocytes majority of cells in this area. Produce keratin, which helps to protect the skin: melanocytes produce melanin. These are cuboidal with long arms attaching to many keratinocytes. Melanin contributes to skin colour and protects from uv radiation by forming an umbrella over the nucleus of a cell. Intraepidermal macrophage cells (langerhans cells) come from red bone marrow. Protect the cells against foreign bodies by detecting and destroying them.
