Abstract
Merkel cells identical to those described in the skin were found in the gingival mucosa and in the vermilion border of the lip. They were often clustered in rete ridges but also found individually in the basal layer. Unmyelinated axons (neurites) of presumably a sensory afferent nerve surrounded the basal half of these cells within the epithelium. Occasional desmosomes connected the Merkel cell to the neighboring keratinocytes, but neither desmosomes nor other junctional devices were found between the Merkel cell and the neurite. The Merkel cell is characterized by membrane-surrounded dense granules, measuring between 800 and 2000 A, which seemed to derive from Golgi saccules. Some Merkel cells contained lysosome-like dense bodies and transferred melanosomes.
Published Version
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