Histologic image showing a section of epidermis.<unk>  labeled slightly below center. The<unk>  (or spinous layer/prickle cell layer) is a layer of the epidermis found between the<unk>  granulosum and<unk>  basale. This layer is composed of polyhedral keratinocytes. These are joined together with desmosomes. Their spiny (Latin,<unk>  appearance is due to shrinking of the microfilaments between desmosomes that occurs when stained with H&E. Keratinization begins in the<unk> , although the actual keratinocytes begin in the<unk>  basale. They have large pale-staining nuclei as they are active in synthesizing fibrilar proteins, known as cytokeratin, which build up within the cells aggregating together forming tonofibrils. The tonofibrils go on to form the desmosomes, which allow for strong connections to form between adjacent keratinocytes. The<unk>  also contains Langerhans cells.
Stratum spinosum
Stratum granulosum
Stratum lucidum
Stratum basale
Tapetum lucidum
Glia limitans
Ligamenta flava
Neuromatrix