Structure & Function of Skin Flashcards
What kind of tissue makes up the epidermis?
Stratified keratinising squamous epithelium
What kind of tissue makes up the epidermis?
Connective tissue
From which germ layer does the epidermis come from?
Ectoderm (which form a single layer periderm)
From which germ layer does the dermis come from?
Mesoderm
In early foetal development, what has developed of the skin at 4 weeks, 16 weeks and 26 weeks?
4 weeks: 3 layers - Periderm, basal layer and dermis
16 weeks: Final layers have formed
26 weeks: Skin appendages develop
Blaschko’s Lines
Developmental growth pattern of skin (not following vessels, nerves or lymphatics)
What kind of epithelium is the epidermis?
Stratified squamous epithelium
Which type of cells make up the majority of the epidermis?
Keratinocytes
What are the epidermal skin layers?
1) Keratin layer
2) Granular layer
3) Prickle cell layer
4) Basal layer
Where do the keratinocytes come from?
Basement membrane then migrate
What are hallmarks of the granular layer?
Odland bodies
Which granules are found in the granular layer?
Keratohyalin granules containing filaggrin and involucrin proteins
Which cells make up the keratin layer (stratum corneum)?
Corneocytes - overlapping non-nucleated cell remnants (dead cells) connected by lipids (essentially a wax) forming an insoluble cornfield envelope
What is the function of keratinocytes?
Production of keratin in order to form a barrier against environmental damage by pathogens, heat and water loss
How do melanocytes create pigment in order to protect from UV?
Convert tyrosine to melanin which absorbs light.
What are melanosomes and how are they transferred?
Small sacs for melanin and transferred between adjacent keratinocytes via dendrites.
What is the function of Langerhans’s cells and where are they found?
Present at the prickle cell level in epidermis, as well as the dermis and lymph nodes.
They are involved in the skin immune system acting as antigen presenting cells
What is the function of Merkel cells and where are they found?
Mechanoreceptors found in the basal layer between keratinocytes and nerve fibres
What are hair follicles also known as?
Pilosebacous units (as they are always next to a sebaceous gland)
What are the 3 phases of growth in hair follicles?
1) Anlagen (growing)
2) Catalan (involuting)
3) Telogen (resting)
What is lanugo hair?
First hair produced by the follicles in utero at around 5 months. Very fine, sort and unpigmented
What is vellus hair?
Fine, short, light-colored or transluscent, and non-pigmented that develop from childhood and are found on most areas of the body.