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Related Concept Videos

Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

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The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
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Cells of the Epidermis01:24

Cells of the Epidermis

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The epidermis is made of four or five layers of epithelial cells, depending on its location in the body. From deep to superficial, these layers are the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, stratum lucidum, and stratum corneum.
The cells in all these layers except the stratum basale are called keratinocytes, a type of cell that manufactures and stores the protein keratin. The keratinocytes in the stratum corneum are dead and regularly slough away, being replaced by cells from...
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Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells01:12

Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells

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The skin is divided into epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis, the skin's outermost, middle, and inner layers. The human epidermal layer regularly undergoes renewal, where old, dead cells are replaced by new cells. Epidermal stem cells or EpiSCs divide and differentiate to restore the lost cells. For the renewal process, some EpiSCs continuously self-renew. In contrast, few others differentiate into transit-amplifying cells, which later form prickle or spinous cells, followed by granular...
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Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

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The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
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Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

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The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the...
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What is a Sensory System?01:31

What is a Sensory System?

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Sensory systems detect stimuli—such as light and sound waves—and transduce them into neural signals that can be interpreted by the nervous system. In addition to external stimuli detected by the senses, some sensory systems detect internal stimuli—such as the proprioceptors in muscles and tendons that send feedback about limb position.
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Effect of red light on epidermal proliferation and mitochondrial activity.

Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI)·2023
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Substrate membrane bearing close-packed array of micron-level pillars incrassates air-exposed three-dimensional epidermal equivalent model.

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Polyoxyethylene/polyoxypropylene dimethyl ether (EPDME) random copolymer improves lipid structural ordering in stratum corneum of an epidermal-equivalent model as seen by two-photon microscopy.

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Comprehensive analysis of elemental distribution in human skin using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 14, 2025

Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin
10:51

Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin

Published on: July 14, 2017

31.8K

Do epidermal keratinocytes have sensory and information processing systems?

Mitsuhiro Denda1, Shinobu Nakanishi2

  • 1Institute for Advanced Study of Mathematical Sciences, Meiji University, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, 164-8525, Japan.

Experimental Dermatology
|November 2, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Epidermal keratinocytes, skin cells, possess sensory systems and brain-like functions. These findings suggest skin cells may represent an early stage of vertebrate brain evolution.

Keywords:
epidermisevolutionkeratinocytes

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Generation and Culturing of Primary Human Keratinocytes from Adult Skin
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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 14, 2025

Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin
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Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin

Published on: July 14, 2017

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Cultivating a Three-dimensional Reconstructed Human Epidermis at a Large Scale
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Cultivating a Three-dimensional Reconstructed Human Epidermis at a Large Scale

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Generation and Culturing of Primary Human Keratinocytes from Adult Skin
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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Traditionally, epidermal keratinocytes were believed to only form the skin's protective barrier.
  • Recent research reveals keratinocytes possess complex sensory capabilities, detecting diverse environmental stimuli.
  • These cells also express neurotransmitters and receptors crucial for brain function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the sensory and information processing functions of epidermal keratinocytes.
  • To explore the evolutionary implications of keratinocyte capabilities in relation to brain development.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on keratinocyte sensory systems.
  • Analysis of research on neurotransmitter and receptor expression in keratinocytes.
  • Discussion of evolutionary developmental biology principles.

Main Results:

  • Keratinocytes contain sensory systems for mechanical, thermal, chemical, and electromagnetic stimuli.
  • They express olfactory, taste, and neurotransmitter receptors, similar to neurons.
  • Keratinocyte excitation can trigger sensory perception in the brain.

Conclusions:

  • Epidermal keratinocytes exhibit sophisticated sensory and information processing abilities.
  • These findings challenge the traditional view of keratinocytes and suggest a potential role in early brain evolution.