are melanocytes the only epidermal cell that contains melanin?
Melanocytes /mɛˈlaenɵsaɪt/ mɛˈlænɵsaɪt are-melanin producing cells located in the bottom (layer the stratum) basale of the'skin s, epidermis the middle layer of the (eye the), uvea the inner, ear, meninges, bones and. heart Melanin granules are seen in the melanocyte, but, astonishingly enough, not so commonly as in the epidermal cells. Melanin granules are composed of numerous fine dense particles (Figs. 3 and 4), which first form small aggregates and finally become the larger, electron-dense melanin granules. Feathered ornithischians. Melanin, melanocytes, and melanosomes. Melanin is a biological polymer that occurs in the skin, hair, and feathers of vertebrates, as well as in the back of the eyeball and certain regions of the brain and some glands. Melanins occur in insect cuticle and in the eyes and eyespots of most animals. Melanin has many biological functions, including colouring the skin and hairs or feathers, strengthening plant cell walls and insect cuticle, absorbing light (and so providing photoreceptor shieldlng, thermoregulation, photoprotectlon), and it is an important free radical sink. Typically, between 1000 and 2000 melanocytes per square millimeter of skin are found. Melanocytes comprise from 5% to 10% of the cells in the basal layer of epidermis. Although their size can vary, melanocytes are typically 7 μm in length. Melanocytes /mɛˈlaenɵsaɪt/ mɛˈlænɵsaɪt are-melanin producing cells located in the bottom (layer the stratum) basale of the'skin s, epidermis the middle layer of the (eye the), uvea the inner, ear, meninges, bones and. Heart melanin is the pigment primarily responsible for skin. color Melanocytes are distributed throughout the basal cell layer of the epidermis and form melanin pigment from tyrosine, an amino acid. Melanin granules are then transferred to adjacent basal cells and to hair. Melanocyte-stimulating hormone from the pituitary controls the amount of melanin produced. Through a process called melanogenesis, these cells produce melanin, which is a pigment found in the skin, eyes, and hair. This melanogenesis leads to a long-lasting pigmentation, which is in contrast to the pigmentation that originates from oxidation of already-existing melanin. There are both basal and activated levels of melanogenesis; in general, lighter-skinned people have low basal levels of melanogenesis. melanocyte. any of the dendritic clear cells of the epidermis that synthesize tyrosinase and, within their melanosomes, the pigment melanin; the melanosomes are then transferred from melanocytes to keratinocytes. adj., adj melanocyt´ic. In various avian species melanin granules also form, and are apparently retained, in dermal melanocytes; melanin granules can form a discrete layer in the dermis, but below, and not as part of, the collagen layer.
No