Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Melanocytes are melanin-producing neural crest-derived [3] cells located in the bottom layer (the stratum basale) of the skin's epidermis, the middle layer of the eye (the uvea), [4] the inner ear, [5] vaginal epithelium, [6] meninges, [7] bones, [8] and heart found in many mammals and birds. [9] Melanin is a dark pigment primarily responsible ...
Melanin (/ ˈ m ɛ l ə n ɪ n / ⓘ; from Ancient Greek μέλας (mélas) ' black, dark ') is a family of biomolecules organized as oligomers or polymers, which among other functions provide the pigments of many organisms. [1] Melanin pigments are produced in a specialized group of cells known as melanocytes.
In mammals, the auditory hair cells are located within the spiral organ of Corti on the thin basilar membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear. They derive their name from the tufts of stereocilia called hair bundles that protrude from the apical surface of the cell into the fluid-filled cochlear duct .
In the semicircular canals, the hair cells are found in the crista ampullaris, and the stereocilia protrude into the ampullary cupula. Here, the stereocilia are all oriented in the same direction. In the otoliths, the hair cells are topped by small, calcium carbonate crystals called otoconia. Unlike the semicircular ducts, the kinocilia of hair ...
Fish and frog melanophores are cells that can change colour by dispersing or aggregating pigment-containing melanosomes. A melanosome is an organelle found in animal cells and is the site for synthesis, storage and transport of melanin, the most common light-absorbing pigment found in the animal kingdom.
Melanin is also present in the inner ear, and is important for the early development of the auditory system. [2] Melanin is also found in parts of the brain and adrenal gland. [citation needed] The normal zebrafish embryo, above, shows the migration and maturation of melanocytes. The amelanistic embryo, below, has melanocytes but no melanin.
Here they produce cerumen, or earwax, by mixing their secretion with sebum and dead epidermal cells. Cerumen keeps the eardrum pliable, lubricates and cleans the external auditory canal , waterproofs the canal, kills bacteria, and serves as a barrier to trap foreign particles (dust, fungal spores, etc.) by coating the guard hairs of the ear ...
OCA2 provides instructions for making the protein called P protein which is located in melanocytes which are specialized cells that produce melanin, and in the cells of the retinal pigment epithelium. Melanin is responsible for giving color to the skin, hair, and eyes.