Protection Unit Vocabulary

Keratinocytes

• A pigment that protects the nucleus of keratinocytes from UV radiation damage
• Type of epidermal cell that produces keratin
• Abnormally high body temperature; a systemic response to invaders to inhibit pathogens from multiplying and increase the metabolic rate of tissue cells to speed up the repair process
• Type of epidermal cell that produces melanin

Keratin

• A protective protein in the keratinocytes that makes structures (like hair and nails) hard and water resistant
• A pigment that protects the nucleus of keratinocytes from UV radiation damage
• Smooth muscle cell bundle that contracts to raise hair upright
• The ingestion of pathogens

Melanocytes

• Type of epidermal cell that produces keratin
• Nerve fiber endings that perceive touch and wrap around each bulb
• Networks of drainage vessels that collect and return excess interstitial (tissue) fluid to the blood
• Type of epidermal cell that produces melanin

Melanin

• A pigment that protects the nucleus of keratinocytes from UV radiation damage
• A nonspecific immune response to tissue injury, initiating an internal chemical alarm
• Type of lymphocytes that secrete antibodies into the blood
• Proteins used by the immune system to bind to antigens and neutralize pathogens

Dendritic (Langerhans) Cells

• Type of epidermal cell that ingests foreign invaders and activates the immune system
• The ingestion of pathogens
• Central core layer of a hair made of soft keratin
• Antimicrobial signaling proteins that are secreted by virus-infected cells, diffusing to nearby uninfected cells to block a viral takeover, mobilizing the immune system

Tactile epithelial (Merkel) cells

• Type of lymphocytes that directly attack invading substances and manage the immune system
• Specialized lymphatic capillaries that carry absorbed fat from the intestines to the blood
• Type of epidermal cell that combines with nerve endings to make sensory receptors for touch
• The concept that when enough people are vaccinated, the microbes aren't able to spread; what makes vaccines really effective

Dermal papillae

• Type of lymphocytes that secrete antibodies into the blood
• Substances used to stimulate your immune system to guard against attack that help to prevent viral and bacterial diseases
• Immune cells in the dermis that act as a 2nd line of defense by initiating an immune response for invaders that get through the epidermis; Big eaters" that use cytoplasmic extensions to reel in and "eat" foreign invaders; a type of phagocyte
• Projections from its surface into the epidermis that contain capillary loops, nerve endings, and touch receptors

Hair

• Long filaments made of dead keratinocytes
• A microorganism (like a bacterium) or virus that can cause disease
• Antimicrobial proteins secreted by the skin to help kill bacteria
• Type of epidermal cell that ingests foreign invaders and activates the immune system

Medulla

• A pigment that protects the nucleus of keratinocytes from UV radiation damage
• Large sweat glands deep in the dermis that come in during puberty and empty into the hair follicles around the armpits and groin
• Immune cells in the dermis that act as a 2nd line of defense by initiating an immune response for invaders that get through the epidermis; Big eaters" that use cytoplasmic extensions to reel in and "eat" foreign invaders; a type of phagocyte
• Central core layer of a hair made of soft keratin

Cortex

• Type of epidermal cell that produces melanin
• Bulky middle layer of a hair
• Substances used to stimulate your immune system to guard against attack that help to prevent viral and bacterial diseases
• Antimicrobial plasma proteins that, when activated, cause an amplified inflammatory response