FTM 50 - Integument 1 Flashcards
What is the cutis?
The skin
What percentage of body mass is the skin?
15-20%
Describe the two main layers of the cutis and their components.
Epidermis - stratified squamous keratinized epithelium
Dermis - loose connective tissue followed by dense irregular connective tissue
What determines whether a region of cutis is classified as thick or thin skin?
The thickness of the epidermal layer only
What are the common epidermal derivatives (epithelial skin appendages) we need to know and are they located in thick or thin skin?
What are the primary functions of the integumentary system
List the layers of the epidermis and briefly describe the cells found within each layer.
What is the predominant cell type of the epidermis?
Keratinocytes
Describe the junctional complexes associated with keratinocytes.
Keratinocytes are attached to each other by desmosomes and to the basal lamina by hemidesmosomes.
Describe the keratinocyte life cycle
They originate in the stratum basale and sequentially move through the layers until undergoing a special type of programmed cell death. They will then eventually be sloughed off from the surface of the stratum corneum.
What is the primary purpose of a keratinocyte?
Maintain attached to other keratinocytes, continually produce keratin to strengthen the epidermis, and continually produce lamellar bodies to act as a water barrier.
What regulates keratinocytes sloughing off from the stratum corneum?
Proteolytic activity on the desmosomes holding the keratinocytes to each other
Describe the structure, appearance, and the junctional complexes associated with melanocytes.
What are melanocytes derived from?
The neural crest - dendritic cells
What is the primary function of melanocytes?
Produce melanin that is transferred to surrounding keratinocytes via cytocrine secretion.
What is the typical melanocyte to keratinocyte ratio and how does that ratio vary across the different races?
1:4 to 1:10 and that is consistant throughout all races. Skin colour is from the amount of melanin produced NOT by the number of melanocytes.
Describe how a melanocyte makes melanin.
It oxidizes tyrosine into DOPA (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) and then utilizes DOPA to make melanin