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Why do cells in the stratum spinosum have a spiny appearance?

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Learn how regenerative properties of the skin helps to protect the human body from the external environment — human skin Human skin, whose cells are generated continuously by the body, serves as a protective barrier between the inside of the human body and the environment.

The cells in the stratum spinosum, also known as the prickle-cell layer, have a spiny appearance due to the numerous desmosomes located on their surface.1

These desmosomes are symmetrical, laminated structures that act as plaquelike junctions, knitting the keratinocytes together. By connecting the plasma membranes of adjoining cells, these structures create the characteristic "prickly" or spiny look observed when examining the tissue.12