GENERAL HISTOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Merkel cells are oval-shaped modified epidermal cells found in stratum basale, directly above the basement membrane. These cells serve a sensory function as mechanoreceptors for light touch, and are most populous in fingertips, though also found in the palms, soles, oral, and genital mucosa.

Detailed explanation-2: -The innermost basal layer, stratum basale (SB), consists in undifferentiated keratinocytes, stem cells, melanocytes, and Merkel cells. On top of this layer resides the spinous layer, stratum spinosum (SS). The subsequent granular layer, stratum granulosum (SG), consists of 3–5 cell layers.

Detailed explanation-3: -The stratum basale (basal layer, sometimes referred to as stratum germinativum) is the deepest layer of the five layers of the epidermis, the external covering of skin in mammals.

Detailed explanation-4: -Merkel cells are found in the epidermis. Merkel cells normally exist in the bottom (basal) layer of the epidermis, about 0.1 mm from skin’s surface. (outer layer of the skin). They were originally described in the late 1800s by Friedrich Merkel, a German anatomist.