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What happens to the nuclei of keratinocytes when they reach the skin surface?
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Integument
The pangolin is the only mammal in the world covered in scales.
As keratinocytes move from the granular layer into the stratum corneum, or horny layer, they undergo a process of maturation that results in the loss of their nuclei. Along with their nuclei, these cells lose most of their organelles and other contents, including keratohyalin granules.1
As they transition into this superficial layer, the cells become progressively flattened and filled with keratin, eventually becoming dead, cornified cells that are ultimately desquamated from the skin surface.1