Merkel cell

Merkel cell
Mer·kel cell also Merkel's cell 'mər-kəl(z)- n a cell that occurs in the basal part of the epidermis, is characterized by dense granules in its cytoplasm, is closely associated with the unmyelinated tip of a nerve fiber, and prob. functions in tactile sensory perception
Mer·kel 'mer-kəl Friedrich Siegmund (1845-1919)
German anatomist. A professor of anatomy, Merkel produced a multivolume work on human anatomy. He also introduced the use of xylene and celloidin into histological techniques and was the first to use in anatomical illustration the now-standard color scheme: red for the arteries, blue for the veins, and yellow for the nerves. In 1880 he described the composite nervous and epithelial structures that are known as Merkel's disks or corpuscles. The epithelial cells associated with these structures are now commonly called Merkel cells.

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a specialized cell at or near the dermal-epidermal junction, characterized by numerous membrane-bound granules with dense cores, some desmosomes, cytoplasmic microfilaments, intranuclear filaments bundled in parallel to form tiny rods, and spikelike processes that interdigitate with keratinocytes. Merkel cells are believed to act as tactile receptors by association with tactile menisci (flat, disklike endings of nerve fibers).

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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