Stratum germinativum

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Stratum germinativum
Section of epidermis.
A diagrammatic sectional view of the skin (magnified).
Gray's	subject #234 1063

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Stratum germinativum (also stratum basale or basal cell layer) is the layer of keratinocytes that lies at the base of the epidermis immediately above the dermis. It consists of a single layer of tall, simple columnar epithelial cells lying on a basement membrane. These cells undergo rapid cell division, mitosis to replenish the regular loss of skin by shedding from the surface. About 25% of the cells are melanocytes, which produce melanin which provides pigmentation for skin and hair.

Pathology

All melanocytes have the capacity to migrate widely in the embryo, and therefore a cancer of a melanocyte, a melanoma, will spread (metastasize) very easily. For this reason, melanomas are often fatal, and when surgically removed, a lot of surrounding tissue must be taken as well.

Albinism is a recessive hereditary condition in which the melanocytes do not produce melanin. People appear very pale and, depending on the type of albinism, will also have lack of pigment in the iris of the eye causing them to appear pink or violet due to visability of the underlying blood vessels. In the most commonly inherited form of albinism the eyes are blue.

Basal cell carcinoma is a relatively benign form of skin cancer which arises from this layer of cells.

Additional images

Cross-section of all skin layers.

External links

• Information on Basal Cell Carcinoma from The Skin Cancer Foundation
• Histology at BU 08422loa - "Integument: thick skin"
• MedEd at Loyola medicine/dermatology/skinlsn/stgerm.htm

v • d • e Integumentary system
Skin layers	cutis: Epidermis (Stratum corneum, Stratum lucidum, Stratum granulosum, Stratum spinosum, Stratum germinativum/basale) • Dermis Subcutaneous tissue
Skin appendages	glands: Sweat glands (Eccrine, Apocrine) • Sebaceous glands hair: Root of the hair • Hair follicle • Root sheath (Huxley's layer, Henle's layer) nails: Eponychium • Lunula nonhuman: Scale • Feather

fr:Stratum germinativum

lt:Pamatinis sluoksnis nl:Moederlaag

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Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .